A helicopter training in an authorised and recognised area, hardly an idiot.
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Lancashire Birding (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter NickPatel92
- Start date
A helicopter training in an authorised and recognised area, hardly an idiot.
Jonny721
Well-known member
My apologies, I didn't realise it was an authorised training area as last time I was there a helicopter was doing the same thing, and a guy who was at the car park was asking us to get try and read the number on the side of it. He was a regular flyer of helicopters in the area and said that the person shouldn't have been flying so low.
An hour and a half birding at Rossall Point early afternoon today produced good views of the Purple Sandpiper with at least 400 Turnstone close to the sea wall. The sea was very quiet with just a single Razorbill floating in on the tide and 9 Eiders spread around. Some early migrants seen with 2 female Stonechats behind the coastgaurd tower and a single Meadow Pipit heading purposefully north.
Steve Jones
Well-known member
Jonny,
It's not really sensitive. If you enter the site from the canal bridge walk along the RH side of the first lake, keep going over a gate, then another and (keeping right) after 2 lakes and 2 ponds you will eventually come up a rise to face another pond directly in front of you. Go to the right around this and you will see a very shallow reedy pond with a fence around it. across the field.
If there has been no recent disturbance you will flush lots of snipe with possible jack snipe here.
If it doesn't zig-zag away straight up in the air at 100mph it wiill be a jack (or a poorly snipe?)!!
Stephen Dunstan
Registered User
My experience is that they fly off some distance. For that reason I think it is sensitive. I have looked for them there once, seen them and wouldn't do it again.
Stephen
Stuart Darbyshire
45th generation Northern
27 Waxwings on Holland House Road, Walton-le-Dale this morning at 8.30am - almost a garden tick, just round the corner from my house!
Steve Jones
Well-known member
From Fylde Bird Clubs web-site:
Fylde scarcities such as Black-necked Grebe, Garganey, Wood Sandpiper and Osprey have been recorded in spring. Myerscough Quarry is also a good site for catching up with Green Sandpiper and Jack Snipe. Due to disturbance by dogwalkers many passage waders probably move through undetected.
Hardly a secret.
The dog-walkers problem is worthy of note, as I've occasionally turned away from watching here when confronted with peoples pets swimming in the lakes.
Stephen Dunstan
Registered User
Nothing in the quoted text tells people to flush lots of Snipe. Encouraging unknown numbers of people to do so at a site where they are already deliberately disturbed is, in my view, irresponsible.
Steve Jones
Well-known member
If my efforts to encourage other birders to visit this little watched site are wrong then I apologise.
The informal path around the site takes you past the area where Snipe are sometimes found. There is nothing 'deliberate' about flushing anything present, unless you go climbing over barbed wire fences.
I'd rather have birders walking this area than the numerous dog walkers accompanied by their spaniels, as is the case most days.
Jigglypuff
Member
Hi Neil sorry to take so long getting back to you. I work at Barry House (Jobcentre building) on London road. the first week we saw the waxwings there were six in a tree outside the office. Eight days later we had 7 appear. Eight days later again (Thursday this week) we had 17 waxwings. My twitching colleague was on leave.. he will kick himself!! We are expecting them next Friday .. but you never know!! I will be sad to see them go back.
Jigglypuff
Member
Oh .. and I should have mentioned that it was ME that spotted them all three times despite never having seen a waxwing before!
WyreWader
Cliff Raby
I spent my lunchbreak @ Marton Mere today. The 1st notable sighting was 5 Buzzards all soaring overhead at the same time, I only managed to get two in frame when photographing them, I've attached a couple of shots.
It was nice to see one of the LEO's visible from the reserve footpath rather than bridal path for a change (& thanks to the couple that pointed it out to me). Whilst photoing the LEO I heard my 1st Chiffchaff of 2011 but didn't manage to locate it. Also Cetti's Warblers were heard but not seen at two different locations.
Other sightings included - 2 x Great Crested Grebes, 5 x Goldeneye, 1 x Kestrel - and, making it feel very spring like my 1st butterfly sightings of the year were 1 x Peacock & 4 Small Tortoiseshells (oh - & a wasp too).
Cheers
Cliff
It was nice to see one of the LEO's visible from the reserve footpath rather than bridal path for a change (& thanks to the couple that pointed it out to me). Whilst photoing the LEO I heard my 1st Chiffchaff of 2011 but didn't manage to locate it. Also Cetti's Warblers were heard but not seen at two different locations.
Other sightings included - 2 x Great Crested Grebes, 5 x Goldeneye, 1 x Kestrel - and, making it feel very spring like my 1st butterfly sightings of the year were 1 x Peacock & 4 Small Tortoiseshells (oh - & a wasp too).
Cheers
Cliff
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Stephen Dunstan
Registered User
Steve,
I don't want to fall out with you about this and this will be my lost post on this matter as we should move on. However in your original post to the whole forum you said:
"If there has been no recent disturbance you will flush lots of snipe with possible jack snipe here.
If it doesn't zig-zag away straight up in the air at 100mph it wiill be a jack (or a poorly snipe?)!!"
I appreciate the good work you have done recording at Myerscough Quarry but this kind of comment just isn't appropriate. Just because there are dog walkers at the site doesn't mean birders should be encouraged to deliberately flush Snipe, especially where the poster is acknowledging that disturbance of the Snipe in question is already occurring.
Good birding,
Stephen
Jonny721
Well-known member
A good trawl around Marton Mere and Stanley Park today from 9 till 2 produced my first few Chiffchaffs of the year, 3 Cetti's Warblers singing, 4 Bramblings together on the feeders, 6 Siskin in the alders near to the feeders, a Water Rail showing very well in front of the "tin can" hide.
I saw this gull at Preston Docks. Apparently it's a Danish rung bird see http://birdringing.blogspot.com/2010/12/gull-grabbing.html. According to Kane's blog Ciaran Hatsell has read it up to 6J-00. I only managed to read up to 6J today.
This is a long shot, but has anyone else seen or read this ring? Does anyone have any more info?
Cheers
Pete.
This is a long shot, but has anyone else seen or read this ring? Does anyone have any more info?
Cheers
Pete.
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Stephen Dunstan
Registered User
Pete,
I have no additional info but just to warn you that some of the Danish ringers are not very good at responding. I had a Danish Darvic ringed bird there and don't expect to get anything back.
Regards,
Stephen
Stephen,
There's a response on the blog from someone called Jesper Brinkmann from the 'Gedser Fuglestation' (ringing station?). Might be worth posting your darvic sighting on his blog?
Pete
Geoff Pain
Rural Member
Trip into Lancashire today first port of call Preston Docks for the Iceland Gull which was there today ,then onto Marshside to see what goodies were there.
The Lesser Scaup was a bit of a surprise and the Avocets were giving some good views.attached are some shots from the day.
The Lesser Scaup was a bit of a surprise and the Avocets were giving some good views.attached are some shots from the day.
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Jonny721
Well-known member
Went in search of the Firecrest after school today which had been seen in the morning at Stanley Park. Although the bird didn't show whilst I was there Me and a couple of mates recorded 21 Goldcrests between the feeders at the north end and the bridges seperating the lakes (250 metres or so). This was a definate number and the most I have ever seen in one place together, and it wouldnt surprise me if there were more than skulking around in the undergrowth. Shows that they haven't been too affected by the hard winter!
