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PEREGRINE IN RIBCHESTER

Peregrine Falcon (juvenile), flying north over Ribchester 11 October (Mike Watson)

ANOTHER PEREGRINE SIGHTING during my efforts to watch some bird migration over Ribchester today brightened up a weekend that started off very damp on Saturday morning. When the sun finally came out some of the last hirundines were on the move with small parties of swallows and House Martins heading south over the river. At the same time the first of the winter thrushes have now arrived. A single Redwing was eating hawthorn berries at Red Bank on Saturday and a flock of 30 Fieldfares flew west over the village on Sunday. Skylarks appeared over the fields along the lane to Boat House on both days and there are some Meadow Pipits in the fields at the moment. The recently ploughed field beyond Lower Barn Farm is attracting double figures of Pied Wagtails at the moment, always good to check them for something else and Pink-footed Geese were also on the move, with two flocks totalling almost 200 birds flying east up the valley on Sunday. Happily Phil could also get on them from his back door! There were still a couple of Chiffchaffs around but most of our summer visitors have now gone. Little Egret and several kingfishers were along the river and a single Goosander was seen on Sunday, otherwise waterbirds were scarce, owing to the high water level following the rain last week. The Peregrine was a young bird of the year, with a rusty nape and heavily streaked underparts. It powered north low over the village and I managed to get a few frames of it before it went behind one of the big willows along the riverbank. I wonder where it was going? They always seem to have a purpose, tearing around.

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THE BALLERINA IN RIBCHESTER

Pink Waxcap (‘The Ballerina’), Ribchester

IN A DEPARTURE FROM MY NORMAL ROUTINE, I had a look at some fungi with Phil Larkin today. I wonder if there is a synonym for twitching among fungi enthusiasts? The most notable was Pink Waxcap Porpolomopsis calyptriformis, sometimes known as ‘The Ballerina’, on account of how it ‘lifts its skirt’ as it grows. What a cool name for a living thing? It is red-listed across Europe and the UK is probably the easiest place to see it but it is still uncommon here and is found mostly in the west on short turf, uncultivated grassland sites. Here it is growing on the lawn of 18th century almshouses. There were a number of other species here and in the adjacent churchyard. I am far from getting to grips with fungi but I’m inspired to learn some more. Thanks Phil!

A walk along the river today added my first BTO BirdTracks for October, the highlight being a Green Sandpiper, which took my Ribchester patch list to 95 for the year. 100 is looking possible now with almost three months to get them and fairly easy ones like Whooper Swan and Woodcock still missing. Little Owl is somewhere in the east of the patch and I can find another two new ones by the end of the year. The river was up a couple of metres following over 24 hours of steady rain, my observation spot of the ‘Tush’ was underwater, as was the footpath by the Roman Baths. In fact there was not much flying over after dawn, just as the rain stopped, for obvious reasons I guess. A trickle of swallows, House Martins and Meadow Pipits continued over the village all morning and the number of Greenfinches and Blackbirds has increased. A group of 3 ravens flew over the Boat House and there were still four chiffchaffs in the hedgerows today.

Common Reed Buntings behind Lower Alston Farm were showy again today

The flooded path along the brook by the Roman Baths in Ribchester (Mike Watson)


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WHEATEAR IN RIBCHESTER

Northern Wheatear, River Ribble, Ribchester 27 September 2020 (Mike Watson). OK it’s a collage of rubbish photos but it’s a Rib Wheatear!

THE HIGHLIGHT OF A WALK ALONG THE RIVERBANK with Phil Larkin was a Northern Wheatear on the south bank just downstream from Boat House Barn. The first I’ve seen in Rib and more notably the first Phil has in 30 years of living here! I’d been wondering where I might see one and was thinking more in terms of a spring migrant on the newly sown corn fields so to see one on the ‘cliffs’ was a surprise. It was soon booted along by some dog walkers discussing how they were going to post their doggy selfies today. Other significant sightings included: three chiffchaffs (two of which were singing); a new high total of 25 cormorants, a flock of 27 House Martins hawking over the river at Red Bank; two kingfishers, a Little Egret; a pair of ravens that flew north east of the village first thing, the first skylark of the autumn and maybe the last swallow of the summer, hawking over treetops just north of Red Bank. Our BTO BirdTrack walk started off with an otter just off the ‘Tush’, it seemed to be quite fearless and was even snorting at me from only c10m away. It caught an eel in the race by the school and disappeared. A few birds are present in noticeably fewer numbers now - Mallard, Starling and Carrion Crow. All persecuted here in some way or other (shot, scared away and shot) but maybe just weather related?

House Martin collage. Juvenile top left. I must have seen thousands of them but I have never noticed that distinctive white line down the outer primary before!

Common Raven collage of the pair that flew across the river, showing their front-heavy appearance at times but also the unusual shapes they make in flight

Reed Bunting (a first winter female, although you can’t see its brown rump in this frame). They seem to like the corn fields at the moment

Otter taking a look at me in the blue half light before sunrise. It is great to see species like this and raven on the increase after decades of persecution

I learned some interesting things this month. As mentioned previously this is the first time I have done any BirdTrack walks in the autumn here but it seems that September is the best month for the highest number of species, with 73. April and August have 71 and May has 70. It is down to the crucial combination of summer and winter visitors but I would have bet on April or May being most productive up til now. I’m still looking forward to what the future holds here. October is now the only unrecorded month, there must be a chance of a Yellow-browed Warbler in the next few weeks (we continue to play its call), maybe Lockdown 2 is ahead, the ‘autumn version’ and there are lots of other obvious gaps in my Ribchester list.

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WRYNECK REVISITED

Eurasian Wryneck, Cant Clough Reservoir, 26 September 2020 (Mike Watson)

AFTER THE CROWDS HAD LEFT, the Cant Clough wryneck landed closeby along the footpath on the southern shore of the reservoir there. Rocket and I fired off lots of photos and eventually it chose a nice spot on the grassy bank where it was feeding, quite unconcerned by our presence. It seems that as soon as the number of folks watching it exceeds three or four it becomes much more nervous. We are all surprised and happy it has stayed for a week now and longer if it wasn’t found on its first day. I hadn’t been that bothered about getting nicer photos of it but I was keen for Alexander to see it. In the end he got some nice views but he was more excited to take a walk with Rocket’s bulldog. We drove by Burnley’s famous football ground, Turf Moor on the way home and then the temporary Covid testing tents in the middle of town. The wryneck has certainly brightened up this awful period in East Lancashire history.

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