white Coppice comes to form...

I haven't had much time recently, just enough time to go down to the local patch for a few short walks... so I decided to pop down to White Coppice and see what was knocking about...

I was pleased to see that the the Cuckoo was still around although it had chosen a different home to most year and has been spending a lot of time up the Nab, the Tree Pipits have returned and I even picked up a Marsh Tit which was a nice rarity down there, a massive number of Ravens around, my Dad and Me saw 4 together at once recently and a good friend of mine saw 8 on his walk around the surrounding area, a Peregrine has been reported although I haven't any raptors apart from Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard and one unidentified raptor(that we were convinced was a Falcon(see earlier blog) myself but I do remember seen them over that area when I was very young so it would be fantastic if they had come back.

lots of different animals around as well, we have managed to get close to the local Rabbits and slightly more elusive Hares but talking to the local farmer be add that most nights whilst checking his livestock, he meets the regular Fox and Badger on him land although no sets can have been found.

Here are a few pics that I managed to get on the way around:-

House Martin

Mistle Thrush

Pied Wagtail

Willow Warbler

Male & Female Stonechat

Greater Spotted Woodpecker



Tree Pipit

And last but not least, this beautiful little Rabbit that I found feeding beside a small fence:-

Anyway thanks for viewing I hope that you will visit again,

Thanks always Lee Harrison.

Local Area..

I have a trip round the local turfs today with my Dad, I havn't bin out for a week so I was up for a good day, first we started off at Marshside, all the usuals knocking around, Reed and Sedge Warblers singing in the reeds, plenty of wheatears around the sand plant and reports of a Green Sandpipers and whitethroats sings near Crossens.

Unfortunatly we didn't manage to catch up with the whitethroat or the green sandpiper but plenty of othes knocking around including 3 Little Ring Plover, and Ruff feeding infront of Nell's hide:-

Wheatear

Greenfinch

Kestrel

After we had finished at Marshside, we decided to head over Mere Sands Wood, nothing unusual around, chiffchaffs singing in the tops of trees, no sign of the Crossbills today and no Redpolls either, but we got some nice views of the Nuthatch, and buzzard as we walked around:-

Nuthatch

Bullfinch

Buzzard

After Mere Sands, we decided that we'd go home and et some tea but as soon as we'd finished, we were back out to White Coppice trying to add more to our daily tally, and we managed to add a few more, including:-

Willow Warbler

Greater Spotted Woodpecker

Raven (a very nice surprise)

And last but deffinatly not least this bird?????? we thought definatly a Falcon of sum sort, we, though it was a merlin at first because of the size of it, it was tiny but when I think back to the sights we've had of the Merlin at Marshside, it seemed smaller than that. After looking at the pics and trying to find what it was, we really have no idea, it has a brown back and wing, an unmarked buff breast, not many head marks apart from a very distinct eye strip, witch if you look closley, you can see.

Sorry about the distant pics, but if anyone can tell me what this bird is please help....

Thanks always Lee Harrison

Easter Monday Magic, It Truly Was Eggselent...

Right, that's enough of double entendre, down to the serious stuff, I headed up to Leighton moss on Monday, hoping to have a bit of luck and we did, as we approached a fabulous female Marsh Harrier rose up along side of our car giving great views, we pulled up and had dinner, no more than two minuets had pass when a Peregrine came soring across closely followed by a buzzard and then a marsh tit appeared singing in a near by tree... An amazing start, putting us in a good mood for the rest of the day, as we checked the sighting book we heard news that a Gargany was showing well at Grizdale hide, so in hope of a new tick we headed down, 1 hour past but nothing, it felt like we were the only ones not to see it but as we left the hide, we were treated to some beautiful views of both male and female Marsh Harrier cruising over the read beds, the first of many.

Marsh Harrier

We decided to have a stroll down to Public hide but nothing really showing except both Marsh Harriers again and a gorgeous Willow Warbler singing high in a tree top...

Willow Warbler

As we headed back, we heard new that a Spoonbill had dropped in at the back of the moss, so we went on mission to find it, which turned out to be the easiest mission of the day, we walked the public footpath across the back of the moss and the first field we came to, there it was showing beautifully at the back of the reeds, to far to get any good pics but here's a record pic. just for the sake of it:-

Trust me it's a Spoonbill

After this beautiful and unexpected surprise we decided to see if we can finish off the day off with some views of the Peregrines at Warton Crag and we weren't disapointed, one sat on the nest and one sat there eating what we think was a Pigeon and Ravens feeding chicks on the nest, in the second and third pics you can see the chicks heads popping over the edge and then the Male Peregrine deciding to to take flight and going for a cruise... Here are a few pics that made me happy so I hope that you like them as well:-

Raven

Peregrine Falcon

Anyway thankyou for visiting my blog, I hope that you like what you see and that you will visit again.

Thanks always Lee Harrison.