Visible Migration - Near Hutton Roof Timber Yard/Docker - Sat Sept 29th 2012

Visible Migration – Sat Sept 29th 2012 – Timber Yard/Docker (just SE of Hutton Roof) SD5845477148

0745hrs-0845hours, then again at 0930hrs-1000hrs.
Wind: NW 20-25mph
Movement: South unless stated.

Thought I would try out a new area to try and map out the Mipits and although the strong winds killed off the movement, it really does look promising from here and I will now try it out over the next few days, that’s hoping the winds calm off a bit.

Meadow Pipit: 301 (best: 12,14,40,20,12,30,37,13,10)
Lapwing: 4S
Alba Wagtail: 6
Skylark: 6
Chaffinch: 7
Starling: 20 E
Swallow: 1
Goldfinch: 1.

Visible Migration - Hutton Roof - Fri Sept 28th 2012

Visible Migration Hutton Roof Fri Sept 28th 2012
0700hrs-1130hrs.
Wind: W 8-10mph and increasing at times.
Movement: South unless specified.

Again another slow start and carried on that way with regular intermittent rain showers. Nasty cloud showing and lots of low cloud towards Kirkby Lonsdale.

Redwing: 1 (calling from House on Vicarage Lane, Burton at 0645hrs)
Mistle Thrush: 4W
Meadow Pipit: 176 (best parties: 10s,8s)
Chaffinch: 76 mainly W but some E
Siskin: 3 E
Linnet: 1W
Alba Wagtail: 5
Reed Bunting: 1
Common Snipe: 2 (paired)
Swallow: 3
Pink Footed Goose: 33S (1135hrs)

Visible Migration - Hutton Roof - Thr Sept 27th 2012

(This mornings sunrise - towards Ingleborough)

Thur 27th September 2012 – Hutton Roof – Vismig
0700hrs-1115hrs.
Wind: 3mph and freshening.
Movement: South unless specified.

Today was a steady sort of morning, it was not a Mipit peak day, but still excellent with plenty of varied stuff coming through all the time. A late Chiffchaff . First Redwing calls. Lots of Song Thrush on the lane whilst going up. Lots of Robins also.

Redwing: A party going over Burton at 0615hrs several calling. Also one up at Hutton Roof calling at 0727hrs.
Blackbird: 1W
Mistle Thrush: 17W (one party 6,3 and the rest singles)
Meadow Pipit: 351S SE at first, then mid morning to South (some mega high) (best parties: 40,26,15,12, 12,8,5s,4s and lots of singles and pairs).
Chaffinch: 168 mainly W but some E (best parties: 7s,6s,5s,4s)
Goldfinch: 108 all W (best: 40,18,8,8,7,6s)
Linnet: 8 all W
Greenfinch: 19W (best 11,5)
Redpoll: 2E
Siskin: 7W (5,2)
Alba Wagtail: 4W
Starling: 10E
Skylark: 5S
Swallow: 11W (7SE 4W)
Woodpigeon: 6E
Raven: 1S (definite mover)
Hen Harrier: 1 male to NW
Also:
Chiffchaff 1 (singing)

also later on 1330hrs to 1430hrs from Vicarage Ln, Burton In Kendal.
all South.
Swallow: 26 (14,10,2)
Meadow Pipit: 9 (3,2 and singles)
Chaffinch: 19 (best 5)
Linnet: 4 (one party)

Visible Migration - Hutton Roof - Wed 26th Sept 2012

26th Sept 2012 – Vismig – Hutton Roof, Cumbria (Clawthorpe side),
0715hrs-0900hrs.
Wind: NE 15mph to 20mph
Movement: East unless specified.

Most stuff going directly into wind. Albas seemed to start off well today. A surprise Grey Plover. Most birds struggling with wind. Only a few Mipits.

Alba Wagtail: 5 (all singles)
Grey Wagtail: 1
Chaffinch: 43 (5W all others E) Best parties: 5,4
Meadow Pipit: 21 (South) Best party: 4
Goldfinch: 1W
Mistle Thrush: 2E
Starling: 4E (2,2)
Grey Plover: 1E (also calling)
Swallow: 4E (3,1)
LBBG: 1E

26th Sept 2012 - Vismig - Hutton Roof, Cumbria (Trig Point)
1230hrs - 1500hrs.
Wind: NE 8mph
Movement SE unless specified.

Fairly quiet, but a few mipits trickling through along with Goldfinch and Siskin.

Siskin: 6S(one party)
Goldfinch: 29S (2,15,12)
Linnet: 2W
Swallow: 6S (one party)
Meadow Pipit: 24 (all SE best party 6 and 3s)
Jay: 1SGSW: 1S

Meadow Pipits sheltering whilst reading the News

Please Click over sketch to enlarge.

Vismig - Hutton Roof - Sun Sept 23rd 2012

Sun Sept 23rd 2012 - Hutton Roof Vismig

0700hrs-100hrs
Wind: NE 5-7mph with gust to 12-15
Moves: South unless stated.

Very cold with the Easterlies, and not much moving at all, what bit there were dried up by about 0830hrs. Few Swallows and what there were went back to their normal routes via East or West. Pretty good on the Goldfinch today.

Meadow Pipit: 136 (best 11,5,4, but in the main just pairs to 4 and lots of singles)
Chaffinch: 74 (going both East and West as usual)
Goldfinch: 52 (best parties 12,10,10,9, odd ones W but mainly to the East.
Linnet: 4 W (singles)
Redpoll: 2 W
Greenfinch: 5 (2 W and three singles E)
Alba Wagtail: 4 (3E and 1W)
Mistle Thrush: 4 W (singles)
Swallow: 7 (5 West one party and 2E)
Woodpigeon: 11 (6W others all East)
Skylarks heard but not seen.

Also lots of Black Headed Gull and a few LBBG heading East.

Vismig - Hutton Roof - Sat Sept 22nd 2012

Saturday September 22nd 2012 - Hutton Roof Vismig
0800-1100hrs.
Little Wind, blue skies.
Movement: South unless stated otherwise.

Didnt break any pots but OK up to about 0915hrs then died off.  First time I have ever had hirundines going directly South at Hutton Roof, they normally go E or W. Start of Mistle Thrush.

Meadow Pipit: 300 exactly (best parties probably ex blogs 51,20,18, but mainly pairs.
Swallows: 239 best parties: 18,30,20,18.
Alba Wagtail: 3 (2W)
Chaffinch: 84 mainly E some W
Greenfinch: 1
Siskin: 8 (4S 2E)
Skylark: 10 (2,6,2)
Goldfinch: 31 (one party 16) mainly E or W.
Redpoll: 4 (2,2)
Starlings: 3
Mistle Thrush: 14 (4,8,2)
Woodpigeon: 3 (2E)

Vismig Reports - Hutton Roof catch ups.

Here is a catch up of my recent VISMIG reports:
Saturday September 15th 2012 – Hutton Roof (Clawthorpe side)
Winds: W 15mph - time 0830-1000hrs.
All movements South unless specified.
Meadow Pipit: 117 (a 50 move on blogging party, otherwise best 6s)
Linnet: 1
Starling 3W
Redpoll: 2
Goldfinch: 6
Chaffinch: 10 (best 4)
Woodpigeon 2SE
Skylark: 2
House Martin 1E
Kestrel 1.

Tuesday September 18th 2012 – Hutton Roof (Clawthorpe side)
Winds: Westerley 10-12mph – 0730hrs-0930hrs.
All movements South unless specified.
Meadow Pipit: 137 (best: 12,10,9)
Chaffinch: 16 (best 6)
Goldfinch: 1E
Swallow: 14 (5E)
Grey Wagtail: 2 (paired)

Wednesday September 19th 2012 – Hutton Roof (Clawthorpe side)
Winds: Westerley 2 mph. 0700hrs-0930hrs.
All movements South unless specified.
Meadow Pipit: 81
Chaffinch: 85 (mainly West some East) best parties: 9, 6s,5s.
Goldfinch: 18 (10W rest E)
Linnet: 13 (one party 12W)
Siskin: 10 (8W)
Cormorant: 1W
Starling: 9 (all E)
Mistle Thrush: 2E
Swallow: 16 (1SE)
Alba Wagtail: 3W
Skylark: 3S
Pink Footed Goose: 76 (one skein W at 0806hrs)
Also:
Greater Spotted Woodpecker: 1W
Willow Warbler: 1 (local and singing)
Chiffchaff: 1 (local and singing)

Friday September 21st 2012 – Hutton Roof (Clawthorpe side)

Winds: Easterlies 8-15mph. 0830hrs-1030hrs
All movements South unless specified.

Today obviously blocking, although some Chaffinch really high and missed, hirundine using side on for SW move. Most Mipits using compensate flight (again side on)

Meadow Pipit: 79 (best 27 ex blog, then 8, some 5s and mainly 4s)
Chaffinch: 14 (1E)
Reed Bunting: 1
Goldfinch: 23E (best 12E and 6E)
Swallow: 40 (26SW,14E)
House Martin: 25SW (11,13,1)
Alba Wagtail: 1
Skylark: 8 (5,3)
Thrush: 1 (small brown thrush E probable Song Thrush)
Woodpigeon: 1SE
Raven: 2 probably local.

Smart *** Is Having a day with the Bird Ringer

Smart *** is having a day with the Ringer.

Smart *** is out and about yet again.
He’s decided to have a day with the Bird Ringer.
Ringer has caught a bird in his mist nets
Soon a inquisitive crowd has gathered around him,

One of the onlookers is guess who? Yes its Smart ***
He starts to take over and advises the gathered crowd,
“Do you know how to tell the difference between,
A Willow Warbler and a Chiffchaff in the field”
Well its easy when you know how!
Just take note of the leg colour, if it’s a pinkish yellow,
It will be a Willow Warbler and if the legs are blackish,
It will be a Chiffchaff.

So Smart *** says to everyone “ So here we are we have
Got a lovely condition Willow Warbler.” And then goes on to brag,
“its pretty good when you know your stuff when it comes to birds”.

Within seconds the ringer releases the “Willow Warbler”,
Which quickly shot off and ascended on a nearby tree not far away.
And to everyone’s amazement the bird started to sing.
“Chiff-Chaff-Chitty”, Chiff Chaff Chitty.

Talk about a red faced “Smart ***

18th September 2012.

Swallows & Autumn Gentian photos

Following on yesterday from vismig, I went up Hutton Roof in the afternoon to check out the Gentians. On way up there were probably "hundreds" of Swallows weaving in and out of the massed "ragwort" lining both sides of the "deforested" upper Dalton areas, they were also so close to the ground, coming up in front of me so close it was truly magic! I did manage to take a very unusual photo, of where some of the Swallows actually came to a closeby tree top for a rest.
Also found another Gentian plant, amongst the rare "white specimens" (see photo above). The nice magenta coloured one was too cold and had closed up a little.

Visible Bird Migration at Shore Rd, Carnforth - Mon 3rd September 2012

Monday 3rd September 2012.
Shore Road, Carnforth, Lancs.
0845hrs-1130hrs.
Wind: 9mph WSW
Movement: South unless stated otherwise.

First day for me and obviously good signs of hirundine passage starting. Can't get there earlier, but all gone quiet by 10.30hrs. Probably stay with Shore Road for a while until after the "hirundine passage" and then back up to Hutton Roof.

Swallow: 289 (best parties 30,30,20,20) 90% South 10% East following River Keer.
House Martin: 20 one party direct South.
Meadow Pipit: 24 (best 5, other pairs and singles)
Alba Wagtail: 24 (best party 6)
Linnet: 51 (best parties 30,10)
Greenfinch: 6
Goldfinch: 10 (best 5)
Skylark: 1
Chaffinch: 1
Reed Bunting: 5 (one party 4)
Siskin: 1
Marsh Harrier: 1S
Kestrel: 1S

Curlew: 2W
Bar Tailed Godwit: 1W
Starlings: Regular small groups probably local.
Cormorant: 3 (all singles W at various times)
Lapwing: 71W (30,40,1)
Canada Goose: 40 E (one party)
BHG: coming through W all the time but one party 60
Common Gull: 150 all in one party W
LBBG: 1W
Woodpigeon: 2S

Autumn Gentians and Bird Movements starting.

Today I found some more Autumn Gentians on Hutton Roof. The top picture shows a beautiful flower, and the second plant which is "very light" has not yet opened, but would suspect that when it does it will have "white" flowers instead of the usual "magenta". The White flowers are very rare, but at this particular site there is older records of the variant. The bottom photo is showing another new plant ready to flower.

The Autumn Gentian is about the last in my flora year. Yesterday I went along to Silverdale to check out the Autumn Lady's Tresses, but none there, either they had gone over rapidly or they have just not flowered this year. So very soon now, days rather than weeks it will be back to the birding and checking out the visible migration over Hutton Roof.

Even today whilst traversing Hutton Roof, lots of birding activity was taking place. I had a passage Wheatear sat on top of the Trig Point, several small parties of Siskin moving South East, also had small parties of Swallows making their exit SE. A 30+ Meadow Pipit blogging party around the Trig Point, a 50+ blogging party of Goldfinch around the Trig Point, odd Greenfinch calling overhead. And two Ravens "cronking" whilst crossing over Hutton Roof.

More Purple - BL Helliborines & Spotted Flys.

Above are more photos of the rare purple broad leaved helliborine found on Hutton Roof which I took yesterday.

Also whilst traversing through Lancelot Clarke Storth, at the clearing area a couple of hundred yards behind the "memorial seat", I was very privileged to watch for over 30 minutes a family party of at least 5 "Spotted Flycatchers", all calling very noisily throughout with their "tsee" contact calls and sounding not too dissimilar to a party of "Long Tailed Tits". They were constantly on the move flitting across to the bordering trees, with lots of acrobatics whilst catching their prey in mid flight. At one time all the birds were in the same tree.

Our local birds left in the middle to late July, so these birds are probably from far off lands and calling in to feed, before proceeding further on their nocturnal passage back to Africa. After checking my notes from last year I did also have a party of Spotted Flycatchers further across in Dalton on the following day last year the 25th. So its obviously a good time to catch these fabolous passage birds.

The Beautiful "Purpurea" Broad Leaved Variant

This morning I went up Hutton Roof to try and get some "epichile" photos of suspected hybrids, but the breeze was too strong and I will have to try again with the tripod.

To my suprise I had missed a couple of Broad Leaved Helliborines, which sort of laid back from the rest and could easily be missed (like I did yesterday). Yet today I noticed them and what a beautiful colour.

Although the photos are not the best, I have included them here to give you some idea and will try and get up again tomorrow to take some better ones.

For now please enjoy the photos of the variant Broad Leaved Helliborine "Purpurea"

IF YOU WANT TO SEE MORE PURPLE VARIANT PHOTOS PLEASE CLICK HERE.

More "Helliborine" Hybrids - Generation 2 ? etc

It is now debate time yet again! I have noticed quite a lot of differences in the Broad Leaved Helliborines on Hutton Roof. In fact a few of them lend themselves to showing traces of the Dark Red Helliborine within their make-up, and as such I am beginning to now think that these could well be "Hybrids" but from the second generation with a Broad Leaved Helliborine bias.

If you are further interested in the discussion so far offered on this, you can if you wish click on the link here to follow up at the (Wild About Britain site)

Because most of the Broad Leaved have now gone over, I need to get out today and try and photo some of the "epichiles" to try and establish if we have more of these "hybrids".

I was up last on Hutton Roof on Tuesday last and was checking out the three located "Autumn Gentians" and already, the best of the three has been got at! in a very delicate fashion, perhaps nibbled by a rabbit or even a mouse, but sadly it has taken off the flower stems has can been seen in the photo.

The Squinancywort is hardly present this year compared to the past two years, when it was literally fully covering the embankment for up to 100 yards. This year there is just small sporadic amounts over a area of some 40 yards. A very bad year indeed for this species.

A flock of about fifteen birds what was thought to be Siskin, flew over heading South, and gave the immpression they were on the move. Some of the Swallows and Martins have started thinning out now.

Coffin Route Sketch - Grasmere & Willow Warbler Info

(Please click over sketch to enlarge)

Whilst travelling through Burton In Kendal this morning delivering the newspapers at the early time of about 6.10hrs I had calling "Willow Warbler or Chiffchaff" quite near to Burton House and it was making the "houwit" contact call. Without actually seeing the bird it would be difficult to confirm which of the "warblers" it was. But If I had to take a guess I would have gone for the former, which in 8 times out of 10, it would be the Willow Warbler. Also it was nice to hear (though very faint calls) the contact calls of nearby Goldcrest.

Talking about Willow Warblers, the last few days when I have been going up on Hutton Roof, I have heard several calling. Most of them were actually doing their "crescendo call" which did seem strange at this time of year.

About ten days ago there were lots of Willow Warblers at Haweswater (Silverdale), I must have counted at least 10 or more, just flitting about doing flycatching sallies amongs the lower branches of the surrounding large conifers to the back of the "boardwalk". There would I presume have been at least three separate family groups, which had probably called in during the early daylight hours to rest and feed up before setting of yet again on another stage of their nocturnal journey onwards to Africa.

Just going through some of my sketches, and noticed this one on the "Coffin Route" at Grasmere, with areas of relevance shown with gps co-ordinance etc.

Squinancywort and Autumn Gentians

I thought today I would go and check out the Autumn Gentian and the Squinancywort.

At first I was getting very worried on both accounts, because I could not find any gentian, certainly at the areas where they were last year, and although I did eventually find the squinancywort it seemed thin on the ground compared to the past couple of years.

Eventually I did also find three Gentian plants tucked away. They were just about the right stage of growth for the time of year with perhaps another week or ten days to go before they come into their prime. All three were showing their normal purplish colouring. Last years "white one" and the others last year just wernt there, but I do think that two of them got taken out with probable rabbits! Lets hope this year they might just get going. I have taken a couple of photos here but will try and get up next week and hopefully get some whilst in bloom...

Also just showing how quick the Ragwort has got hold on Dalton's "deforested".

Epipactis Schmalhausenii the DRH and BLH "Hybrid" Sketch

Epipactis x Schmalhausenii

To check out lots more on Epipactis Schmalhauseneii see blog index.

Broad Leaved Helliborine with Over Compensated Spike

This Broad Leaved Helliborine was as you would expect about three weeks ago. A very fine specimen but the top of the spike was still limp.
On checking it out today (3 weeks later) I was so suprised to see this bunch flower head effect. On close inspection of the floret I could see evidence where the actual original spike had been munched off probably with deer. But so suprised to see how quickly new flowers had compensated and more so I would say actually over compensated with far more flowers than you would have normally had.

Broad Leaved Helliborine & Wild Onion photos

These are just a few of the photos I have taken over the past few days.
Today I had some superb Broad Leaved Helliborines, just coming in to flower. I suppose if I stare at them long enough, they seem to have little faces, and they all appear so different.

Then there is a photo of the "pavement" at Clawthorpe Fell.

Photo of the "Wild Onion" which has a terrific population down in Silverdale at about 12 yard above see level.

And to finish off a close up of a beautiful Red Clover over on Hutton Roof.

My Bendy Entangled Whirlycurlymagig

The Bendy Entangled “Whirlycurlymagig”

You most beautiful green “whirlycurlymagig”,
A green so special, and later with yellowing and burnt,
You turn, twist, and intertwine with such ease,
You are special and have more bends in you,
You just keep bending and bending and twisting,
And curving.

You are so different, your leaves tell me so,
All they want to do is stretch out and bend over,
Until they touch the floor, many times, all over,
A true jungle within thee and stabilizers without,
You’re a totally different green to everything else,
And stand out from the rest, to the one that knows!

Your called a sedge, The Birds Foot Sedge,
In May you have a foot and its claw hooked!
Its ever so small to see, but it’s there as clear, clear can be.
“Carex Ornithopoda” is your Sunday best name.
But your not just any old “Carex”,
You are the special one, you are,
My fresh green “whirlycurlymagig”.

By Bryan Yorke
5th August 2012.

(This is one of many plants I managed to find on Friday last, but appealed to me so much because of its dense green colour which is not noticed that much, usually they have more of the lemony tinge to them- and when you looked close to it you could appreciate "the bendy entanglement")

Catch up, and a Summary of the Helliborines Counts

Yesterday I did see a collection of at least 50 Swifts feeding up above Morecambe Golf Club.

I was fortunate to see yet another Spotted Flycatcher within the Dalton area, where I am reliably informed had bred within the area. I saw the bird on four separate mornings, the last time was the 19th July 2012. I do now think that perhaps this was the date that it moved on its return.

A couple of mornings ago, at 0608hrs I was watching "Starlings", several hundred coming over in a very straight long continuous line, ex their roost (probably Leighton Moss) and heading straight over Burton to the East, just like they do in Winter, but obviously in far less numbers, they being the local ex breeding stock. The same birds have been going to roost at approximately 2030hrs. I would expect the continentals to start to arrive sometime around early October.

Almost finished for another year monitoring the Dark Red Helliborines on Hutton Roof, I can think I can now safely say that they have gone over and dying back, although there is just the odd one or two still in reasonable flower. So far I have found and recorded a total amount of 939 plants on over nineteen pavements, and probably if and when a full survey is completed would expect on close to 1500 to 2000 plants in the Hutton Roof area, also managing to find no less than twenty two of the rare hybrids (Epipactis x schmalhausenii). Some of the hybrids have been at least one mile away from others in distance, showing they have really got hold OK, and obviously because of some areas showing closeby grouping must be considered "fertile". I have been so selective in finding these "hybrids" and have dismissed probably a further 20 or 30 which probably could have been considered within the category, thus presenting a very conservative count.

The Broad Leaved Helliborines have just started to grow fully erect and in general will be about one week to ten days away from flowering to their best. There are some magnificent stalks and flowerheads showing and I would expect it to be a fine display. The total count to press is 67 plants over nineteen pavement areas.

Another mega rare find this year were the "Hipericum perforatum montanum" (a rare hybrid of the Pale St. John's Wort.) Although I found three separate plants on only one of the pavements. Within a week or so of flowering the deer had "munched off the tops".

Lots of other stuff have been monitored eg: Angular Solomans Seal, Lily Of the Valley, Squinancywort and very soon I hope to be searching out more of the "Autumn Gentian".

Today Thursday 2nd August 2012. Its been a proper butterfly day up on Hutton Roof with quite a variant collection including: Small Heath, Common Blues, Meadow Browns, Ringlets, Speckled Woods, Small Bordered Fritillaries, Dark Green Fritillaries, Small Tortoiseshell, a Northern Brown Argus feeding on trefoil, and I was delighted to find my first "Gatekeeper" on HR.

At various points throughout my walk to the Rakes and back I heard Willow Warblers, some in a part song but most of them with the "houwhit call". Odd Bullfinch parties piping.

A roebuck barking its head off and quite close, we ended up staring one another out!!

"This has to be nature at its best, It's always at it's best, and so different, everyday is a new picture within the most beautiful frame upon which you may wish to find and look! To the earth from which we come, to the earth's vast splendours we shall find, and eventually to the earth we return...
In the meantime enjoy life, to its best with such splendid creations so "free" and on my doorstep.... so fortunate am I".

The Nab at Rydal and Rydal Hall

Yesterday (Tuesday 31st July 2012).

Went up to Grasmere for the day and decided to have a walk back via Dove Cottage and over the Coffin route to Rydal. After passing the "Skater's Tarn or Wordsworth Tarn", a little further on decided to take a photo of Rydal Lake, and within the photo (above) you can also see to the right hand side the top of "Nab Cottage", earlier home to Thomas de Quincey good friend of William Wordsworth and essayist who wrote "Confessions Of An English Opium-Eater (1821). He later resided at "Dove Cottage" and also held the post of Editor to the "Westmorland Gazette". Also "Nab Cottage" was to later be the home of another romantic poet "Hartley Coleridge", the son of William's friend Samuel Taylor Colleridge. Hartley died in 1849 whilst at Nab Cottage with William Wordsworth at his side.

I also took photos of Rydal Mount (Wordsworth's later home), and also Rydal Hall (the former home of the "Le Fleming" family, and also a photo of it's fabulous "Mawson (designed) Gardens". Also I could not resist taking another photo of the "The Grot and the Waterfall" which has over the years been a "great inspiration" to many a famous artist.." Also the beautiful "Angel Stone" on display.

Later leaving the hall, followed the road down to the bottom and going passed the fabulous little church on the right hand side were "Wordsworth" attended each Sunday. Within this Church the front left hand pew has a "dedication - saying that this is the pew that William Wordsworth used".

We then crossed over the main road and took the back road alongside the river towards Ambleside noticing on the way a pair of deer, with the doe and buck resting up, and reasonably well camouflaged.