Brockholes Quarry 6th June 2009

Not much time for birding this week apart from the odd hour at Stags Lodge out with the boys, Jasper and Kiaser our Border Collies. Though it’s not a bad area for birding it’s hard to combine the two sometimes with throwing tennis balls and frisbee’s to try and tire them out!. Thanks to those who check in to see what we’ve been up to, it’s okay to say ‘Hello’ just use the comments box bellow the posts.
Up to Brockholes for an hour or so as the rain seemed to be holding off this evening.
Plenty of Swift as we arrived with 30+ feeding over the River Ribble along with the odd Sand Martin. Down the approach road and a Carrion Crow was perched on a fence post. We then spent an hour in the company of Mike who had been watching 2 Little Ringed Plover and a Common Sandpiper on the Main Pit but we only managed the Plover. It looked like they may be nesting as one was displaying and the other seemed to be settling down in the same spot, we’ll keep our eye out on the area to see what happens. Apart from the usual Mallard, though there does seem to be a few hybrid, Mute Swan, 20+ Lapwing, Canada Geese +3 gosling, and 50+ Swift there wasn't much else about.
We spent the last 15 minutes watching the banks at the east end of No. 1 pit and Reece thought he’d spotted a Mediterranean Gull amongst the Black Headed Gull but once we’d found the page in the book and checked back through the scope to confirm it’s markings it had gone. It did look slightly smaller than the Black Headed around it and had only slight markings on the head suggesting an immature bird but we haven’t marked it as a tick as we couldn’t totally confirm the ID. A single Greater Black Backed Gull was also on the banks but no sign of any Plover or Waders. Plenty of Tufted Duck, again more Swift and 20+ Canada Geese roosting on the far side but not much else to report from the No 1 pit.
Back for a quick look at the main pit before we left and we spotted a Curlew flying in. We’d heard one calling earlier in the evening and a quick sweep with the binoculars brought the count to two.
Off Martin Mere tomorrow hopefully to see the American Widgeon and the Greenshank as neither of us have seen them.