Bird project 20 - Spotted flycatcher

20/101.
Muscicapa striata Spotted flycatcher

Location: Treetops above stump circle, Stanley Park, Blackpool.
Conditions: Mild sunshine, light breeze, early evening.
Photograph quality: 1-2.

Comments: I have seen a few reports of these birds in the park since the end of April, but only one or two birds. Today, three were seen, and conditions were good, so I went along to see if I could find any.

In fact, there were at least half a dozen, fluttering in the treetops. They rarely stayed still, settling on a different branch each time, then flying out a short way to feed, then perching somewhere else. It was a real challenge to get them in shot and in focus, and I was mostly shooting straight up, which is hard work with a big lens (for part of the time, I lay on the ground, so I was facing the treetops, which was moderately effective). Additionally, the high contrast between bright sky and sunlit leaves, the birds themselves in sun or shadow, and the branches, made getting correct exposure tricky too.

Despite the challenges, I really enjoyed myself. It was a lovely setting, and the birds themselves were delightful, acrobatic, and thankfully unconcerned by my presence. I will try to go back again before they migrate, and see if I can get better shots.

Bird project 19 - Dunlin

19/101.
Calidris alpina Dunlin

Location: Fleetwood Marine Lakes, Lancashire.
Conditions: Bright, light cloud, strong wind; mid afternoon (high tide).
Photograph quality: 1

Comments: I went up to Fleetwood to find various waders and sea birds - a large flock of godwits was roosting opposite the Marine Lakes the last couple of days, but today they were nowhere to be seen, perhaps due to the strong wind on the coast. There was a small flock of turnstones on a jetty above the eastern lake, by a bridge separating the two bodies of water. One bird was different - but since I only know waders in their winter plumage, I wasn't sure what it was.

I really assumed it was something I'd seen before, but I was lucky - it's a dunlin! In the winter, these are pale grey above, white underneath, but as you can see, the breeding plumage is much brighter - the same goes for the turnstones. Note how small this bird is - turnstones are quite a bit smaller than redshanks, but they dwarf this little dunlin. Not common in the summer in the UK, especially on the coast - a few thousand pairs breed on mountains, so even more unexpected.

Bird project 18 - Garganey

Extended list 1/42.
Anas querquedula Garganey

Location: Reedbeds on east side of Marton Mere, Blackpool.
Conditions: Warm sunshine, light breeze, early afternoon.
Photograph quality: 2.

Comments: A male was seen here a few days ago, but then nothing. These ducks are few in number (the RSPB states "23-115 pairs", the BTO says 86 pairs), and turn up randomly, by all accounts. They are the only summer migrant duck in the UK, and easily missed. So I was surprised to be told by a woman who joined me in the main bird hide that a pair had been seen earlier in the day. In fact, it was a couple of hours earlier, and the report stated they then disappeared. It turns out they must have moved from the open water in the southeast of the lake, to the more secluded reed beds at the east end, but they were clearly visible (if easily overlooked) from the embankment path.

They didn't stay in the open for long. I'm really pleased to have caught them, especially as all the other new species I might have seen today (grasshopper and garden warblers, whinchat, wheatear, and little grebe) were no-shows (although I heard a grasshopper warbler).

Bird project 17 - Sedge warbler

18/101.
Acrocephalus schoenobaenus Sedge warbler
Location: Reedbeds on east side of Marton Mere, Blackpool.
Conditions: Warm sunshine, very light breeze, mid afternoon.
Photograph quality: 2-3.

Comments: Sedge, reed, and grasshopper warblers have returned to the reedbeds here in the last two or three weeks. All three have been seen more or less daily, but I knew photographing them would be very difficult. I got a shot of a reed warbler last summer - pure luck, as I was in a hide at the mere for just a few minutes before it came into view. I tried to see them a couple of days ago, but although they were noisily apparent, they never came out of hiding.

This time, conditions were even better - very pleasant to spend time standing , watching the reeds - and I didn't have to wait long before I saw small birds flitting across a gap between sections of dense stems. I couldn't be sure at the time what they were, although I got quite a few mediocre shots - but at home I've checked multiple sources and am confident the bird in these photographs is a sedge warbler. Note the very pale underside, dark back, some markings on the wing, and crucially, a pale supercilium, and dark stripe beneath. The sound they make is quite extraordinary.

Bird project 16 - Jay

17/101.
Garrulus glandarius Jay 

Location: Conifer between Lytham Crematorium cemetery and Fairhaven Golf Club, Lancashire, England.
Conditions: Mild, sunny (bird in deep shade).
Photograph quality: 3.

Comments: I went to this location for the first time today, as crossbills had been seen there for several days (but not yesterday). I didn't expect they'd still be there, but other excellent species are commonly found there, including jays - which are rare in these parts - and parakeets, which though not native, I wanted to photograph.

The conditions began perfectly, with blue skies and warm sunshine, and next to no breeze, and immediately I saw birds in the trees by the golf course. Luckily I fired off the above shot straight away, as I saw no more sign of this species after that. However, there were many others - including singing chaffinches and goldfinches, a chiffchaff, willow warblers, long-tailed tits, and a probable reed warbler. Later, thin cloud moved in, the temperature dropped, and the breeze picked up, so I didn't linger. I'll go back at some point to try and get a better shot of the jays.

Bird project 15 - Bullfinch & Goosander

Over a week ago I headed up to Scotland. I hoped to visit a few nature reserves just west of Edinburgh, if the weather co-operated. In fact it's been mixed, but not the total washout (or more accurately, blowout) my last visit turned out to be.

I wasn't expecting any new species, and was happy with the month's total as it stood. However, a few birds I don't expect to see at home (like yellowhammers and dippers) are found here, so I kept my eyes and ears open. On my last trip out, yesterday, I was doubly lucky - but it was two different species that I saw.

15/101.
Pyrrhula pyrrhula Bullfinch

Location: Footpath (former railway line) east of Pumpherston, West Lothian, Scotland.
Conditions: Very mild, sunshine interspersed with cumulus.
Photograph quality: Mostly 2, some 1.

Comments: I'd already photographed a distant buzzard, and quite a few small songbirds that turned out to be willow warblers, and I was only a couple of miles into my 8-mile walk. I kept hearing quiet peeping noises from the shrubs either side of the path, so I stopped, and stared into the bushes. I was expecting at best a goldcrest, but instead noticed a bright peach-coloured bird. I assumed a chaffinch, but almost immediately realised what it was - a bullfinch. Unmistakable, even though I've never seen one before. Much brighter, with the black head, shorter beak, and habit of nibbling buds. The female was close behind, but hid until the last moment, when she flew on ahead and perched on a branch in the open, before they both flew off across the path. The female (immediately above) is duller, but still a very fine bird.

Given how few of these are seen near where I live, this was a real stroke of luck and the highlight of my trip.

16/101.
Mergus merganser Goosander

Location: Flying over the Almond River valley, just west of the Camps Viaduct, West Lothian, Scotland.
Conditions: Bright but cloudy, mild.
Photograph quality: 3.

Comments: I was crossing the viaduct, a very impressive structure at least 80 feet tall, which carries a footpath high over Almondell & Calderwood Country Park. There were lots of birds, and it was a great vantage point, being at treetop level with good views either way along the valley. I caught a flock of birds out of the corner of my eye that moved like ducks, but seemed too large, so I fired off three shots before they disappeared. Only on inspection the next day did I see they were mergansers. After some considerable thought and reading, I have determined they are goosanders, not the very similar red-breasted merganser (which I saw last year). Note the females, with the brown heads - there is a sharp divide between the head colour and the pale body, which is diagnostic of this species. A real unexpected bonus!

Bird project 14 - Skylark

14/101.
Alauda arvensis Skylark
Location: Fleetwood Marsh nature park, Fleetwood, Lancashire.
Conditions: White cloud, cold, strong east/northeast wind.
Photograph quality: 1.

Comments: The first time I went to this location, I read on a notice board that skylarks bred here, but it was too early in the year. This week I've seen reports of wheatears and skylarks there, and the little grebes I heard but did not see last time should still be present.

Sadly, the weather turned less pleasant (after a morning of warm sunshine) as I arrived, and only the skylarks were apparent, singing high in the air, as well as the usual waterfowl, gulls, and a flock of wagtails joined by a male reed bunting.

The photographs of the skylark singing in the sky were very poor, but I've arranged the best four at the bottom of this article. Then one of them landed on a fence just as I was approaching, and I managed to take a series of good shots. The background was many tens of metres away, giving perfect subject isolation, so my luck was in.

A couple more of the best photos are available on my Flickr feed.