Loch Ryan 5th Feb

Hadn't been out with Keith for a few weeks so today we decided to take a look at the Stranraer area. We weren't going to be disappointed. I needed Red Kite for the year and as i new Threave has them we headed here first hoping yesterdays Blue Winged teal was still on the River.. It Damn well wasn't! Red Kite was ticked though.
Keith needed Hen harrier for the year, i think i said naaaa we wont be going anywhere today for em but driving along the A75 Keith spotted something on a post so i turned the car around and low and behold only a bloody Male Hen Harrier, great views as it was mobbed by a Raven.
We then headed for Stranraer and the Cheese outlet at Innermessan, on arriving i noticed an Adult White Winger. An Adult Glauc was being reported from here but this wasn't a Glauc, to small and long winged it was an Adult Iceland Gull, a good start. So was this the Glauc that was being reported..

Adult Iceland Gull

The Scaup were showing nicely from here, there were hundreds..2 Great Northern Divers and a Black-throated were early bonus's.

Oh well try again later. We moved onto the Wig where we had great views of loads of different stuff and some year ticks too. An Adult Med Gull was with black headed gulls on the side of the road.
On the Sea were 25-30 Slavonion Grebes, half a dozen Long-tailed Ducks the adults were Stunning. Loads more Scaup and smaller numbers of Mergansers and Scoters.  Eiders and a few more divers were present.


Scaup



Red-breasted Merganser

Long-tailed Duck

Long-tailed Duck

Slavonion Grebe with Shag

Slavonion Grebe with Long-tailed Duck

A walk along the Wig finally produced a group of Pale Bellied Brents and a large flock of Twite.

A Merlin was a nice Bonus.

We finished here and moved back to Innermessan and saw the Adult Iceland Gull again. An Adult Med Gull was further up the beach. We chucked some bread out see what would come in and i immediately spotted a Yellow Legged gull although a bit of a confusing bird with pale yellow feet, possibly a bird from north of the breeding range apparently, a nice looking bird all the same. Found out this bird had been here a couple of winters now.

Adult Yellow Legged Gull

Then moved down to Ryan Bay where we thought the Iceland gull had gone but on arriving we were confused, now this bird looked shorter winged and larger necked, this was an Adult Glaucous gull had we made a mistake.. checking back on my pics we now no there were both Adult Iceland and Glaucous gull....So there were 2 adult White Wingers Brilliant.

Adult Glaucous

Now we had a great day so it was time to head home 8 years ticks ...

Glaucous Gull again.

Had a site visit today so finished at lunch time so headed straight for coast, loads of waders about between Maryport and Allonby. Grey Plover, Golden Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit, Dunlin, Knot, Ringed Plover, Turnstone and Sanderling. Checked through the few gulls present nothing. Then just as i was about to drive away the Glaucous Gull flew past. Soon after Nick turned up and we went to have a good look at it on the beach. Great Looking bird.

Met up with Keith to cover Soddy and Derwent Forest, the two Little Owl were on the same building at Derwent forest. We moved onto Soddy flushed a few Common Snipe and eventually a Jack Snipe. A few Teal on the small bit of open water as well as a handful of Wigeon, Mallard and Coot. A Heron flew out the Reeds.

Finished with Owling, a Barn Owl was giving Brief Views, 4 Shorties were distant and i had to leave a little bit earlier tonight so there would have been more. 2 Raven flew over the site too.

Little Owl Derwent Forest

Tried a different viewpoint looking for Little Owls tonight it was about half four and still nice and light and low and behold i found a Little Owl sat on a building, then eventually 2 Bingo!!!!
I new they were in this area as Keith had heard one last week then i heard and saw one with Keith and Maynal but in the dark a couple days later, now here's the evidence they are close by......



Then i moved back to the usual spot just in-case there were other people turning up, but no i was on me todd till Keith turned up later on.

Minimum of 4 Short-eared owls although they were all over the place so couldn't do a proper count.

1 Barn Owl and 2 Tawny Owl. 3 Woodcock.

Glaucous Gull

Decided as i had the day off to go find some geese around the Silloth area. The weather was dull and the birding started off boring. There were very few Geese about until the afternoon when i finally found 4 European White fronted Geese on Tarn Dubs pond. A nice quiet little spot with a few feral geese and overlooked only by some caravans. The light was no good for distant photography.

The Geese then started to flood in with Pink footed geese, Barnacles and Whitefronts everywhere i seem to go. The Ross's goose was back on Skinburness marsh i hadn't found it in the morning, Barnacles and pinks were here now in bigger numbers with European and Greenland Whitefronts in smaller numbers.



Single European Whitefront



Greenland Whitefront

These 2 juv pinks had me pondering for a while.

It was now 2 clock and i was getting bored, the light was crap and the birds were distant, so i decided id check the gulls on the way home, i drove past a massive collection of gulls between Crosscannoby and Allonby yesterday at high tide so i decided to check these today.

I set up my scope and about the 10th bird i checked i got onto a Massive Juvenile Glaucous Gull Bingo!!!! my second Glauc id found in Cumbria this year. i watched the bird till the tide came in and pushed it onto the water.

I looked through the 15000 Gulls as best i could where i manged to spot an Adult and a 1st Winter Med Gull, these have been thin on the ground this year, except for stumpy of coarse.There was a very white headed juvenile gull that could have been a Yellow Legged Gull but it was drifting quite far out by now so i couldnt be sure. 27 Sanderling were running around the feet of the Glaucous Gull

The Glauc saved my day....Video below.

Ross's Goose

Well early start travelling to Derbyshire on the Snakes pass but on getting there it was thick snow not good for spreading brash on peat...cant see the bugger.

So after a wasted day i got home about 3 and headed straight for Skinburness Marsh. Keith had relocated the Ross's Goose yesterday and i wanted a look. So after half hour i was scanning through the geese when i immediately found the Ross's Goose in the thousands of Barnacles Geese. There were 2 European Whitefronts very near by and i eventually counted 22 Greenland Whitefronts mixed with the 2400 Pink-footed Goose..

I was wanting to get back for the Owls so headed back and saw 7 Shorties and heard 2 Tawnys.

Keith had spoke to the police who had completed a course within the Compound and in one field alone flushed 20 YES 20 Short-eared Owls...... Biggest count ever in Cumbria and got to be close to UK record too.

Ive been in Contact with Derwent Forest Development Consortium who are the developers for the area, the information they provided me was that they cannot touch the site except for a 60 acre Diamond Jubilee Woodland project, this will be sorted in over 18 months time due to them trying to acquire the mineral rights.

So seems its will stay as it is for a little while longer yet....

More local stuff.

Well a bit of a disappointing day really with not a lot of exciting birds. Started at Bass lake but only saw the usual suspects, went up to the  viewpoint near Whinlatter, 70+ Siskin feeding in the larch's and 2 Common Crossbill flew over. Moved onto Parton before lunch for a reported Iceland Gull, no sign unfortunatly. Checked a few other spots very quiet till i Saw a Kingfisher from the bridge at Workington. Keith found the Ross's Goose on Grune but by the time i was passing home it flew out of sight so gave it a miss and came home instead...
Owling later so an update to follow....

Owling at Derwent Forest

Derwent Forest

 

Background

In August 2008, Allerdale Borough Council and Cumbria County Council jointly acquired the former Royal Naval Armaments Depot at Broughton Moor. 

Covering an area of 425 ha (1,050 acres), the former RNAD site at Broughton Moor is one of the largest brownfield sites in the North West of England.  It represents an outstanding development opportunity, situated in a central position at the heart of the West Cumbrian sub-region, in an area of potential that stretches from Cockermouth at the edge of the Lake District National Park to the two West Cumbrian coastal towns of Workington and Maryport.

The two Authorities recognise the potential of this site to bring significant economic, environmental and community benefits to the area contributing to the overarching vision of a community in which everyone shares the prosperity currently only enjoyed in parts of the Borough.  The Authorities intend to dispose of the site and are actively seeking developers.  A formal marketing process commenced in January 2010 with a preferred development partner named in early 2011. 

The Site

The site is located just outside the northern edge of the Lake District National Park.  It is situated just off the A66, approximately 3 miles west of Cockermouth and 4 miles east of Workington.  Due to its rural and undeveloped nature, there are currently no public transport links to or from the site, with the nearest rail links at Workington and Maryport. 

The site’s history over the last century has been an eclectic one.  Compulsorily assembled from agricultural and coal mining origins, and effectively isolated by the MOD from its immediate locality since 1939, active operations at the site ceased in 1992.  Since this time, the site has lain redundant and unutilised.  Cumbria County Council and Allerdale Borough Council jointly acquired the freehold ownership of the site in August 2008.

The site has been closed to public access for over 50 years.  Over that time it has developed a unique environmental character with a wide variety of species of plants and animals.  This factor, in conjunction with the nature of the site’s historic use as an armament storage facility, means that there is a number of ground and decontamination works that need to be undertaken before new development can take place. 

Development Objectives

The Authorities have consulted widely with local communities and others at regional level. They have established the following broad aims which the development should achieve:

• Economic Benefits through raising the profile of West Cumbria at a regional and national level; attracting inward investment to the area, creating a tourism magnet between the Lake District and the Coast; creating jobs and training opportunities;

• Environmental Benefits through the removal of dereliction, maintenance and enhancement of habitats, biodiversity and landscape character and developing sustainable environmentally sensitive enterprises with green infrastructure;

• Community Benefits by ensuring that economic and environmental benefits to West Cumbria impact positively on local communities.

The key aspirations are to encourage sustainable long term development, sympathetic to the environment and the characteristics of the site.  This may entail a significant proportion of development directed towards leisure, tourism and educational related uses.  Part of the site has also been identified as suitable for new housing, as enabling development, with the potential for circa 250-275 new homes.

Derwent Forest presents the opportunity to link the popularity of the Lake District National Park with Cumbria's west coast, and to attract visitors and economic activity making a real and sustained difference to West Cumbria's economy.

Local patch's

Started at Siddick this morning with 2 Bittern being the main highlight.

Workington just stumpy the Med Gull and a Whooper swan and a Cormorant showed well.

At Whitehaven 1 Shag in Harbour, 18 Common Scoter 2 Purple Sand but very few gulls. 1 Nordic type Jackdaw again

Also some normal Jackdaws

Finished at the dump for the owls 3-4 Short-eared Owl, 3 Tawny Owl. No Sign of any Barn owl tonight but the highlight being once back at the car a Little Owl calling which we saw fly in and out of a tree nearby.

5-6 Woodcock, 4 Kestrel, 2 Buzzard and 8 Stock Dove

What a place!!!

A nice collection of Folk tonight too, words getting around.