Birthday Birding - 21st February 2011

 This is the 3rd year running I've taken the day off work and headed out with Reece on or around my birthday in the hope of a good days birding. Well 2 out of 3 aint bad as the song goes. First stop was Sizergh Castle with the hope of seing the Hawfinch but half an hour of scanning the trees brought nothing but a Robin, Nuthatch, several Chaffinch and a small flock of Fieldfare. On to Ambleside with better results as I spotted a female Long Tailed Duck feeding in the marina, a tick for both of us. Jackdaw, Starlings and Mallards in abundance as well as a Wren and Robin were the other birds of note.

ABOVE FEMALE LONG TAILED DUCK BELOW JACKDAW

Next we headed south calling into Conder Creek which was totally flooded due to the high tide as was Pilling with a few Redshank and the odd Curlew patrolling the waters edge.

Next stop was Bradshaw Lane but with no feed down there was very little about apart from a dozen Whooper Swan nearby with several Geese which I was unable to identify as I couldn't pull to get a better look.

Back yard feeders have been busy with the local Starlings loving the fat balls, Goldfinch a plenty on the nyjer and the odd Greenfinch calling in for good measure. We had a rare visitor over the weekend when a male and female House Sparrow called in to feed, there is a small flock resident 500 yards from the house but it's very rare we get a visit.

The number of birds I've seen at Stags Lodge has increased oer the past week or so with Greenfinch and Bullfinch both showing as well as the return of the pair of Coot that bred on the pond last year. The only raptor I've seen was the fly over of a Buzzard last weekend though the Tawny Owl was calling again on tonights visit.