Grasmere Lake, Grasmere Village, Cumbria (1 Viewer)

Mothers day out. Grasmere Lake, Cumbria

The kids wanted to treat the wife and as she likes Grasmere village so we thought we'd go there have lunch and a stroll. Used to go to this little cafe in the village called the Coffee Bean but it seems to have changed hands and is now called Miller Howe Cafe(?). Its really nice inside now and they use fancy crockery (square plates, trendy tea pots and the like) but they charge you for it. Just for some sandwiches and a drink it cost £27 between five of us and some of that was shared! It was all made of the premises wonderfully presented but regarded as a bit tasteless by us.

The weather wasn't so good as it rained most of the afternoon but we still decided to walk around the lake. Took the bin's and saw a few good things, its usually a good place and is often the only walk we can do as a family. Its easy to do and you can normally drag the least interested around without them getting too bolshi.

I don't make a list till I get home so I can check the things I'm least familiar with against the guides etc. It also helps for it to stick in the memory.
So in two hours around the lake in the rain I got the following:
Long Tailed Tit
Dunnock
Robin (lost count of how many there were about ,seems to be more than normal this year to me)
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Golden Eye (at least three pairs)
Coot
Great Crested Grebe (2)
Buzzard (2)
Crows
Blackbirds
Thrush (3)
Corn Bunting (2)
Yellow Wagtail (2) Never seen two together and was surprised to see them. Moving along the lake edge by the main road.
Pied Wagtail
Mallards
Heron
Black Headed Gulls
Pheasant
Canada Geese
Greylag Geese
Wood Pigeons
Chaffinchs
Wren
Mute Swans
Starlings

My wife also got a fleeting glimpse of a House Martin but wasn't sure and we never saw it again so haven't counted it. Also listened for a while to a Woodpecker drumming but couldn't see it. Usually get some Tufted Duck as well but didn't see any this time.

Despite the wet I enjoyed myself at least.

Glad you had a good ,day Bill yes it was wet on Sunday,but thankyou for sharing your day with us,and you did see quite a few birds too,in spite of the rain.

Thanks Christine.
Its a walk I've done often and I always see something either on the lake or in the woods around.
I dont know if its someones "patch" but I bet they have a cracking list.
There's a Heronry you can see from the far side bank and usually more ducks than I've mentioned. I've probably had a fair few firsts there (for me at least) and the the surrounding nearby area.
I saw my first treecreeper there!

Interesting read Bill, thanks. I'm surprised by the 2 Yellow Wagtails though as mid.March seems a very early date for them to have reached Cumbria - is it possible they were Grey Wagtails and that their bright yellow vents/lower bellies caused some confusion? Certainly, the fact that they were at the lake shore would indicate Grey Wag' rather than Yellow (Yellow Wag' tend to be more of a farmland bird in Cumbria).


Chris

Wagtail

CJW said:

Interesting read Bill, thanks. I'm surprised by the 2 Yellow Wagtails though as mid.March seems a very early date for them to have reached Cumbria - is it possible they were Grey Wagtails and that their bright yellow vents/lower bellies caused some confusion? Certainly, the fact that they were at the lake shore would indicate Grey Wag' rather than Yellow (Yellow Wag' tend to be more of a farmland bird in Cumbria).

Chris

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Hi Chris

Thanks for replying.

I am surprised now as well. I didn't think anything of it till I got home and noted like you that they aren't normally seen this early. I did consider posting a sighting elsewhere of just the yellows but I think I saw a post of one being seen some days before.

I've seen them in the past and just took for granted that they were Yellows.
Another time I saw one was at Martin Mere and again around the edge of the water in front of one of the hides, but I suppose MM is surrounded by farmland.

Checking the guides I'm fairly sure it was a yellow. The olive green back was quite striking, the yellow stripe of the eye and I noted the difference in the tail as described in my Collins Guide. I thought the yellow was quite strong as well I always think a grey looks paler in patches.

The description of where they could be found didn't seem out of place as we where not that far from White Moss Common. There is a lot of flat open land around the village

They didn't stay around for an extended view and I lost them quite quickly. I saw one far better than the other but my perception was they were the same.

I've taken the view they where on the way somewhere.

If I'm wide of the mark I'd be happy to be corrected. I'm always keen to learn.

By the way my wife now tells me that she is certain she saw the House Martin as well. I know where she saw it they are normally numerous in the summer.


Bill

Well, if you saw the olive-green back and yellow supers they must have been Yellow Wags'. That's a remarkably early record Bill, well done.

Chris

Bill,

I think the Corn Buntings would be more noteworthy than the Yellow Wags at this location. The Cumbrian population is estimated at 5 pairs, with none in the central Lakes.

Regards,

Stephen.

Hi Bill.
sounds like a great day, good list a real good find with corn bunting and yellow wag`s. glad the prices diden`t choke you!!

Corn Buntings

Stephen Dunstan said:

Bill,

I think the Corn Buntings would be more noteworthy than the Yellow Wags at this location. The Cumbrian population is estimated at 5 pairs, with none in the central Lakes.

Regards,

Stephen.

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Stephen

Thanks for this. I'm unsure about this one now as I didn't get a long view of them. There where just a couple of birds in a marshy field not far from the lake. They looked like Corn Buntings to me as I have seen them regularly near where I live. I have normally only seen Corn Buntings on a post or a wire singing their heads off so I looked at the shape and marking and jumped to the conclusion. If not they were similar.

I'll check other likely suspects. Any suggestions?

Bill

Bill,

Could be female Reed Buntings I suppose? I can check recent Cumbria Bird Reports to see if there have been any wandering Corn Buntings for you.

Regards,

Stephen.

Yellow wags

CJW said:

Well, if you saw the olive-green back and yellow supers they must have been Yellow Wags'. That's a remarkably early record Bill, well done.

Chris

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Thanks Chris

I'll always bow to greater knowledge as I never feel that confident about things I seldom see regularly so I've checked a few other things and now feel confident thats what I saw.

I suppose things are turning up earlier and earlier and we shouldn't be surprised.

Thanks for your help its made me feel better about it as on Sunday night I had doubts because of the time of year.

Regards

Bill

Thanks Stephen

Stephen Dunstan said:

Bill,

Could be female Reed Buntings I suppose? I can check recent Cumbria Bird Reports to see if there have been any wandering Corn Buntings for you.

Regards,

Stephen.

Click to expand...

Thanks Stephen.

They could have been as I've got them mixed up with other things in the past, but they somehow seemed a little stouter.

Regards

Bill

CJW said:

Interesting read Bill, thanks. I'm surprised by the 2 Yellow Wagtails though as mid.March seems a very early date for them to have reached Cumbria - is it possible they were Grey Wagtails and that their bright yellow vents/lower bellies caused some confusion? Certainly, the fact that they were at the lake shore would indicate Grey Wag' rather than Yellow (Yellow Wag' tend to be more of a farmland bird in Cumbria).


Chris

Click to expand...

I was up at Grasmere yesterday and saw two grey wagtails and a dipper on the river that runs between Grasmere and Rydal. They did seem very bright for greys but the markings on the head and the greyness of the back as opposed to the greenish tinge clinched it for me.

Dave

Hi dave

You where in the right area, however the birds I saw showed no grey.

I must admit to having doubts about this and I almost feel I'm talking myself out of them being yellows but everything I've checked since suggests to me they where yellows. Its only the timing that seems out.

Could the grey have been masked becuase of the wet conditions and appear the olive green?

I think i am more inclined to believe that I didnt see the corn buntings. I keep running that one through my mind and the more i think of it the less I'm sure.

regards

Bill