Last Two weeks of the Year

The second half of December was freezing in Cumbria, heavy snowfall followed by freezing temperatures and tricky travelling but if anything it made the birding better.

The Long Billed Dowitcher remained in the vicinity of Port Carlisle harbour throughout and was often joined by a Spotted Redshank and up to 2 Little Egrets, with a nice group of 95 Scaup floating past on the 18/12.




The drake Smew remained on Longtown ponds and the female Long tailed Duck was still on talkin Tarn on the 22/12 but had gone by the 26/12. Brambling numbers at the Tarn rose to 200 on the 19/12 but no more than 40 were reported after that, while a Kingfisher and up to 38 Goosander were seen. A Nuthatch was also showing very well.

On the Solway on the 18/12 5 Little Egrets were on the saltmarsh either side of the inland end of the Viaduct while a walk at Grune Point on the same day saw 2 Little stints again overwintering at this site and a Jack Snipe in the marshy grass. Another walk at Grune on the 29/12 on a hard frozen day saw 2 Peregrines, a ring tail Hen harrier, Merlin, Sparrowhawk, a Little Stint, c20 Twite, c3000 Barnacle Geese and a single Brambling with a flock of c20 Chaffinches. Also a small group of Fieldfares were feeding on the frozen turf allowing some nice photos.

A Bittern was seen at Siddick Pond, Workington on the 30/12.


The month ended for me with a nice Red Throated diver at Carr Beds on the 30/12 with a female Scaup and a Jack Snipe also present. Other walks at Carr beds on the 25/12 and 26/12 produced a Jack Snipe on both days and a Little Egret and 2 Otters on the latter date.

HAPPY NEW YEAR HOPE ITS GOOD TO EVERYONE CHEERS NICK

Start of Winter

The first half of December finally brought some dry bright weather mixed in with the usual fog and drizzle. The Long Billed Dowitcher was still around somewhere throughout the fortnight but wasnt pinned down again until the 12/12/09, it then showed well in Port Carlisle harbour for the next few days, unusually allowing me to get a second go at photos.

New birds this fornight included a lovely female Long Tailed Duck found on Talkin Tarn on the 2/12 it remained until at least the 14/12 showing well but feeding continuously and spending amazing length of time underwater. Also present on the Tarn were up to 28 goosander though numbers fluctuated.

Also inland a drake Smew was found on the largest of Longtown pools on the 13/12 and was still present the following day, as were 8 Gadwall, 7 goosander and at least 20 goldeneye.

Those watching the Long Billed Dowitcher on the 13/12 also found a close in Great Northern Diver and in Port Carlisle harbour itself a Little Egret and a Spotted Redshank both showed well.

Nearby at North Plain/Campfield Marsh the largest ever roost of 224 Whooper Swans came into the pools at the top of the Lonnen on the 8/12, also present recently have been up to 2 male Hen Harriers, a Little Egret and good numbers of Teal and Widgeon with at least 30 Pintail present on the 13/13.

Two Water Pipits were also reported here on the 12/12 with Meadow Pipit on the flash on the east of the track.

On Grune Point the Snow Bunting could not be relocated but 2 Merlins and a Peregrine, a dozen Scaup, a good count of 22 Grey Plover and a big roost of Knot and Bar Tailed Godwits were decent reward for a cold day on the 4/12/09. While on the very misty day of 10/12 little could be seen but a flock of c30 Twite were very vocal on the end of the point.

Further down the coast 2 Bitterns were reported at their regular wintering site of Siddick Pond, Workington on the 12/12 with one seen again on the 13/12.

Late November

The second half of the month started with floods and ended with the first frosts, typical for November.

Whooper Swans were present in good numbers with a lovely herd of 102 present on roadside floods near Calvo on the 30/11 and good numbers at Beaumont throughout with a maximum count there of 185 on the 23/11.

The long billed Dowitcher remained at Port carlisle harbour on the 16 and 17/11 and was reported again on the afternoons of the 23/11 and 27/11 though typically there was no sign of it on the morning of the 23/11 when I went for another look.

Up to 2 Little egrets were present intermittently throughout the fortnight in Port Carlisle harbour and the Spotted Redshank was present until the 20/11/09 but not subsequently.
Twite also put in a good show with 40 in the harbour on the 23/11 and counts of 50+ and 25 near Anthorn Masts. While on a walk along Grune Point on the 30/11/09 a big flock of 140+ twite flew from the saltmarsh over the point and back again.

Also on Grune point on the 30/11/09 I found a lovely little Snow Bunting right at the end in the same place as the previous two years, also present on the marsh were a Peregrine and huge flocks of knot and Bar Tailed Godwit with 8 Scaup in the channel east of the point.

At North Plain hide up to 3 Hen Harriers including 2 males were reported some days while a count of 114 Shoveler on the 23/11 was high and up to 90 Whooper Swans roosted each evening. 2 Little Egrets also dropped in briefly on the first pool on the 30/11 before flying out towards the saltmarsh

Huge numbers of fieldfares gathered on the Hawthorn bushes on Burgh Marsh edge with at least 750 there on the 30/11/09.

With Carr Beds still under a lot of flood water the only decent sightings from the area were 103 Goldeneye on the river at Rockliffe and opposite Redhills Farm on the Beaumont side 3 Jack Snipe were flushed from the reeds with c20 Snipe.