Restharrow Scrape.

After popping in to see the Dartford Warbler at the "Sandpit" and a nice little party of Tree Sparrows (not photographed) I popped into the hide at the Scrape and took a few easy piccies.

Female Teal

 

Drake Teal

Pairof Shovelers

Drake Shoveler

Coot

Drake Pochard

Drake Pochard - an infrequent visitor to the scrape.

Cormorant

Cormorant and Moorhen.

Tufted Ducks

Drake Tufted Duck.

a few Gadwall grazing.

Three Wigeon grazing.

Feeding Frenzy

The cliff top beckoned today, and since I am getting old and lazy I drove up to the monument car park, with the intention of walking down to Hope Point and beyond. I took a while with one of my favourite photographic subjects. Fulmars are never long away from the cliffs and on a bright day provide great flying exhibitions. While I was doing this and watching various gulls zoom by I became aware that, somewhere around half a mile off shore, out from Hope Point, there was a large group of Gannets. Of course, as I said I'm getting lazy and I'd left my scope in the car. I debated whether to go and get it, for a minute, but the number of birds out there feeding demanded a closer look. When I got back the feeding flock had conveniently drifted south and my walk was shorter than expected. When I checked it out through the scope it was apparent that as well as at least 150 Gannets there were a lot of birds on the sea. At least 250 Cormorants were fairly obvious, and a lot of groups of Auks were more difficult to count. I could only identify Guillemots, and at that distance there could have been others lurking. They were quite spread out and I estimated there were at least 400. As I was preparing to go back up the hill I was treated to a Raven fly by and some aerial tumbling as one evaded a Carrion Crow.

Fulmar

Fulmar

Adult Herring Gull

Distant feeding Gannets,between a half mile and a mile away.

Gannets

Gannets in the middle,a small flock of Cormorants flying behind, and a group of Guillemots (black and white dots in the foreground).

Mainly Cormorants with a few Guillemots in the foreground.

Adult Lesser Black-backed Gull

Back end of Fulmar on the Cliff

Cormorant having a shake

Raven

Cormorants

Cormorant close in,just getting white thigh patch.

Third winter Herring Gull

Raven

Raven with mobbing Carrion Crow

Noisy Raven fly by

Raven calling from favourite "song" post.

Raven over the sea,

It's a Hard Life

It's a hard Job being Jack's transport manager this week. Today I was forced to spend the day at Leighton Moss RSPB Reserve while Jack gained a little more insight into the world of RSPB work.

I must admit that Leighton Moss is one of my favourite reserves, one that I first visited around 38 years ago, Boy it has certainly changed since then,

 There are seven hides on the reserve and it's annex down the road, adjacent to Morecambe Bay and I started at the Causeway Hide. It used to be called the Public Hide,because it is on a public footpath and is open to all. However since it got an upgrade and is now an out standing modern viewing point it also acquired a new name. I feel a bit at home here because you look out to an island, in a lake with Lapwings on it. (Like a much bigger version of the Restharrow scrape).

 And to add to the comparison there was a pair of Oystercatchers along side.

 When I arrived there was quite a large group of Tufted Ducks and they were escorted by several Coots. I think there was some sort of feeding synergy going on.

 There were a few Great Crested Grebes at the back, but just this one ventured close enough for a picture.

 Leighton Moss was one of the first reserves to have an established Marsh Harrier population, before the boom in their numbers and it is still one of the highlights. On my first visit, all those years ago we also saw one of the other specialities, a Bittern. They are still around, but not easy to see and today I didn't hear a BOOM.

 A few more Lapwings and Black-headed Gulls.

 No wild Geese here but a pair of Greylag Geese.

 Not very many Galdwall around but a few scattered over the reserve.

 Drake Mallards were looking particularly smart and were already stalking the ducks!

 Another March Harrier over the trees. I saw at least four, two males, and adult female and a juvenile.

 Always good to see a Duck Gadwall, such a nice looking and  sweet duck.

One of just a few Cormorants sitting around.

Lower hide was the place to go, I was told, for the best chance  of an Otter sighting, but no luck today. I did hear a Water Rail and a couple of Cettis Warblers, with the briefest glimpse of the latter, on the way down to the hide.

 A Moorhen in front of the Hide.

 Back at the Causeway Hide and Carrion Crow serenaded me noisily.

The once rare but now unexceptional Little Egret, a few were around the reserve.

A few Redshank sat on a ridge in front of the Tim Jackson Hide along with some Teal and a couple of Wigeon.

A whirring of wings and around 300 Redshanks invaded the ridge.

Some of the 80 or so Black-tailed Godwits that dropped in  the water in front of the Grisedale Hide.

A drake Pintail from the Tim Jackson Hide

A late return to Lillian's Hide to see the reported Goldeneye Drake. 

Two Pochards at the back seen from Lillians Hide. The reed beds are fantastic and somewhere there are some Bearded Tits, still around although the high water levels has made the winter difficult for them. I didn't see or hear any today.

View from Lillians Hide


Four views of the Reserve from the new Tower