Turnstone

Just received some information about the ringed Turnstone I saw last week at Rossall Point looks like he/she is a local to the area.
Below is the information I have received back from Seumus Eaves the North West Turnstone Project Coordinator.

Recapture History

  Ring                        Age/   Capture

  number           Type                            Date      Init         Details

Turnstone

  ST28469 - BR             N                      6             12/01/13           PJB       Fleetwood Marine Lake, Lancashire

                         O      6    Sighted (R)   18/01/13  IG    Fleetwood Marine Lake, Lancashire (6 days)

                         R      4    Recaptured   16/12/13  IG    Fleetwood Marine Lake, Lancashire (338 days)

                         O      4    Sighted (R)   16/01/14  IG    Fleetwood Marine Lake, Lancashire (1 yr 4days)

                         O      4    Sighted         06/12/14         Rossall Point, Lancashire (1 km, W, 1 yr 328days)

                         O      4    Sighted         24/01/15         Rossall Point, Lancashire (1 km, W, 2 yrs 12days)

Key

N = new bird i.e. first ringed

O = field sighting

4 = hatched before current calendar year – exact year unknown (e.g. many adults in autumn)

6 = hatched before last calendar year – exact year unknown (e.g. many adults in Spring)

Lancs Wandering

I have not this year really gone any where birding just staying very local which although nice and restful doesn't progress ones year or life list so this weekend I made the effort and headed off into uncharted territory or at least for me heading firstly for Pilling and then on to Rossal Point.

Finding the area around Pilling End was tricky but finding the rough area and then a collection of cars all bearing RSPB, WWT etc stickers I assumed I was in the right spot and pulled over and parked up.
Bumping into a couple of birders on asking if the Pomarine Skua had been spotted today I was given some rather negative news but seeing a group of other birders a head watching something I still plodded on and after asking again, I was given of the answer of its just there! And so it was and it's quite a beast of a bird with a real powerful looking bill I watched the bird for a while before the cold got the better of me and I retreated to the warmth of the car and on to the second location.

Getting to Rossall Point which was now bathed in full sun unlike the gloom of Pilling, although no warmer in the wind I was given the bad news that no one had seen any sign of the Shore Lark even after looking all through out the dunes, oh bugger!
But I was not to down hearten it had to be there somewhere and who knows maybe I would find it!
Walking along the beach I manged to pick up quite a few waders and a Pied Wagtail which I saw out of the corner of my eye did at one point get the heart beating that little quicker. A Turnstone I spotted had a couple of rings which I will have to report in. A couple of Eiders were pointed out just beyond the breakers.

After playing with Gem on the beach for a while we decided to head for the Tower for a look around and get out of the wind, just as we headed up the steps I noticed a group of birders all watching a patch of the golf course so it was a change of plan and off we shot, sure enough the Shore Lark had been found.

This allowed for a record shot to be grabbed not great as it meant looking straight into the sun but needs must.
Hunger then meant it was off to the car for lunch, just after finishing my luck was in and the Shore Lark moved to almost right in front of my car allowing for a much better set of shots to be bagged.

One life tick and plenty of year ticks, I was a happy chap driving home.

Hanley Forrest Park

Lesley still needed the Juv male Smew which I had manged to pick up on the 3rd Jan at Westport Lake so it was off to Hanley Forrest Park to hopefully see this great little duck.

Sure enough it was there, it seemed to be eating bait thrown by the fisher men called Boilies I have been informed.

It's not daft this duck it knows how to get a quick and easy meal for its self.

Jan First

The first of Jan for me is always more of a leisurely start than it is for some birders, I just tend to do a spot of garden watching followed by maybe a quick walk somewhere.
This year was no exception, so over the morning I manged to get a nice garden list together, although this year unlike the last 3 winters we have not got any Brambling so they are absent from my list to date.  But the garden favorites of Bullfinch and Willow Tit have been bagged alongside Green Finch and other common garden birds.

The afternoon was spent doing lazy birding from the car with a quick drive to Hanchurch for the feeding area by the rock which added Great Spotted Woodpecker and Jay to my list followed by a drive alongside the railway line at Mill Meece which added Red Wing and Field Fare.