Seawatch- Starr Gate

8.20-11.20
A good day in all here are the totals

Arctic Skua

3

Fulmar

6

Little Tern

1

Arctic Tern

3

Sandwich Tern

4

Manx Sherwater

11

Kittiwake

5

Gannet

8

Common Scoter

150+

Seawatch-Starr Gate 06/09/11

I arrived at Starr gate at around 8.15am Frank Bird and Maurice Jones was already watching so I went and joined them, Frank had already had a few Fulmar and a Manx Shearwater. Around 5 minutes later frank shouted manxi and there just behind the surf was the first Manx shearwater of the day. Not long after he shouted Fulmar there's another first for the day and a fylde tick for myself. There was a steady passage of seabirds in the 3 hours watching.
Here are the full list of birds seen
5 Fulmar (I seen 3) South
18 Manx Shearwater South
10 Gannet North
4 Kittiwake South
4 Arctic Tern South
3 Sandwich Tern South
4 Pintail South

Bat and moth night- Marton mere 31/8/11

We set of from mine at around 8.30 we had just got onto yeadon way where we hit an old lady, ha ha moth that is. We arrived and jonny was already there and told us he had the barn owl. As soon as we set off we had a pipistrelle bat and a whole load of common rustic we arrived and they hadn't caught anything so me Aaron and jonny went for a walk and came back with heaps of stuff.
I found a sallow a lifer for me and Aaron we then went for a walk looking for bats around the mere as we reached the far end i found an angle shades then Aaron found another then we started checking the reedheads we found hundreds of sallow lesser broad borderd yellow underwing a smokey wainscott

leighton moss 28/8/11

we got there  and Steve Palmer was there with the moth trap unfortunately he had released all the moths, fortunately he had a treble bar and July highflyer still to release we also found a green carpet later in the day, Bird wise there was not alot best birds were Osprey, Marsh Harrier Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Raven, Little Egret, Greenshank were the best stuff.

Catch up- Bat and moth walk

24/8/11
We met up with the rangers and a few other members of the public for a bat and moth night at stanley park. We decided to head towards the bowling greens first and just as we arrived we had our first bat, a pipistrelle flying around our heads while the rest of the group were watching that me, Aaron and Jonny had a look round for moths, Jonny suddenly shouted ''Ash coming towards you a big one'' I turned round and ''THUD'' Straight into my nose it then flew behind me so I swung my net behind me with 10% skill and 90% luck I managed to get it, potting it we could see that it was an old lady. We then Continued round towards the rose gardens where Silver Y and crescent were caught. Down towards the lake the others had Brown long eared bat which I had missed because I went looking for the next species of bat. The daubenton's bat was rather easy to find all we had to do was scan our torches along the surface of the water and bingo got one infact there was arond five wizzing aroung no more then a foot of the surface of the water picking insects of the surface. On the boat house we found another three old ladys were on the wall then on top of the bridge we were bombed by another one.

 we then went through to woodland gardens where a few more pips were seen and heard then we got to the pill box and there was yet another old lady sat on a wall inside. After that we headed back to the park and walked along the main path where a noticed a few moths feeding on an oak tree copper underwing and the best moth of the night red underwing but not 1, not 2 but six on 1 tree. on the way bk we also found a hedgehog, we all then headed back to the vc happy.

scotland 2010

as a treet my mum and dad took me to a bird of prey centre for a meet the birds experiance here oour some of my favs

loch lomond bird of prey centre  http://www.llbopc.co.uk/

they also educate people and help conserve habitats

It's slowly getting better

An hour in watson this morning and i am glad i did as soon as i reached the enterance of the park i hear a great spotted woodpecker calling from the top of a tree. we dont usually get woodpeckers around us so that was worth getting up for.
Next I walked a few hundred yards into the park and I heard the call of sparrowhawk then I saw 2 chasing eachother around the trees, they landed so I went to the tree one flew into another clump of trees and the other stayed  where it was they both were juvenile birds maybe they have bread in there this year??. I found a woodpigeon sat on a nest and three magpies were chasing eachother from tree to tree. I found a few butterfly species today as the sun was out I saw red admiral, small tortoiseshell and speckled wood.
  

wow!! somthing new

 

Today again I started in watson road park and as soon as i opend the front door the swallows were going wild, I looked up and the resident male sparrowhawk was going over. I continued towards the park and as usual there was alot of feral pigeons sat on the sport centre roof, I had just arrived in the park and right on que the magpie was feeding on the patch of grass it was yesterday. I went and stood near a shelter and heard at least 5 blue tits  chipping away at the top of the trees around me. bit further along the track I heard a wren and then another further up near the bowling green where a couple of blackbirds were feeding among the leaf litter then a bit further up was a  smaller bird i lifted up my bin's wow!! its a dunnock that was the best sighting, on the way back I heard a robin calling fron somewhere in the undergrowth.

Later I will be checking the railway bushes and do a little bit of sea waching.

above lesser striped addidas shoe at preston dock whilst photographing common tern a great find

below a white red kite gigrin farm 2011 tacken whilst on my hols

Few of my fav pics

 Marsh Tit
Mute swan

 lesser scaup
sedge warbler
grey heron with eel

Still Quiet

This morning watson was quiet again all we had was 2 Blue tit, 2 magpie, a pair of wrens, a few woodpigeon. we went and sat down for a while and had 2 goldfinch and 2 greenfinch over. We then went to the railway bushes on the way we had a few collared dove and around 10 starling sat on chimney pots and 2 male and a female blackbird was nice. The bushes was dead only a blue tit heard we decided to cross over and walked along side the pleasure beach where we heard wren and blue tit inside. we went onto the prom where there was a dozen sandwich terns flying around and hundreds of gulls sat on the beach most of them being herring, lesser black backed and black headed gulls and the odd common gull. on the way home we walked back along the beach and came across a few common shore and green shore crab and an octopus jellyfish. on the sea defences was a flock of around 20 starling and beneth them was a single turnstone feeding in the seaweed.
Tomorrow will probably have a quick look at watson then do a touch of gardening in the afternoon.

Not Much About

Today I started off at an under watched patch that is watson road park. The only other time I have been in there was to see an elusive wood warbler earlier in the year. I reached the park which is only a few minutes away from my home, all was quiet apart from screaming little kid's I went further in and stood near a patch of trees which looked promising for migrants. After a while I gave up on that patch of trees and continued around the park, when something caught my eye, a dragonfly, it was a migrant hawker. While I watched that I heard a blue Tit. I continued round and found a fallen log to sit on where i had a juvenile sparrowhawk. I then decided to go home and watch the feeders, when i got back there was 2 goldfinch and a male greenfinch on the nyjer and sunflower hearts.

 

I then decided to go on a bike ride to stanley park with Aaron who often comes birding with me. I went and sat down while Azz went on the BMX track where i had a flyover female sparrowhawk  getting mobbed by a couple of brave swallows. I carried on round the park and found a family party of around 8 long tailed tits. 
Tomorrow i will be having another look at watson road park and some railway bushes that in the past have held such rarity's such as red breasted flycatcher and Pallas's warbler.