Scoring Close to Home!

Scoring Close to Home!

Day 1

I managed to find a new patch which had a more diverse habitat and more accessibility than my last one. We arrived at our new and improved patch (Carr House Green Common) at 6:00am. Looking at the Fylde Bird Club website, we saw recent sightings of Grasshopper Warbler, along with Sedge Warbler and Whitethroat. As soon as we arrived, I spotted a Whitethroat singing in a tree right next to the layby which we had parked at. We then continued along one of the footpaths, spotting a singing Sedge Warbler and a flyover Shelduck. Suddenly, I heard a loud, reeling sound. It was the distinctive call of a Grasshopper Warbler. We searched for it and within a few seconds, I spotted a small, brown bird with a yellowy chest perched up on a bush. It was indeed a Grasshopper Warbler.

The bird was incredibly showy and was only a few metres away. We enjoyed watching it for ages, and it was relentlessly singing. Satisfied with our views, we moved on.

We walked just a couple of metres down the same footpath when another Grasshopper Warbler starting singing loudly right in front of us. We looked behind us and could see and hear the other Grasshopper Warbler distantly, which meant this was a second male. It then emerged and started reeling on top of a bush, at which point another Grasshopper Warbler flew off from the same spot, presumably a female. 

We continued along the patch, spotting a few more singing Whitethroats and Sedge Warblers, along with singing Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs. 

As we were walking along one of the paths, I spotted two large waders fly overhead. They were Whimbrels. We also spotted a showy Sedge Warbler, along with many Reed Buntings and a Blackcap. We also lifted up a piece of scrap plastic, remnants of a car crash, and found two Common Toads and a Common Frog. 

We then embarked upon the southern end of the common, where we heard many more Willow Warblers, Chiffchaffs & Blackcaps. We also heard a few Sedge Warblers, and yet another reeling Grasshopper Warbler. 

We then went to see if we could find one of the Grasshopper Warblers again. We heard one near the tractor yet couldn't locate it. We then looked for the other one and managed to spot it straight away. The Grasshopper Warbler was showing very well, perching out in the open and reeling. Happy with our morning, we decided to do a bit more local birding the next day.

Day 2

We arrived at Stocks Reservoir at 7:00am in hopes of getting good views of a Garden Warbler. Upon arrival, we were teased by the a distant sound of a Cuckoo. We then made our way to the first hide, hearing a brief and distant Redstart along the way. Once we arrived at the hide, we could see the beautiful reservoir, however, there were no birds on the reservoir, except for a few Greylag and Canada Geese. We then made our way out of the hide and were greeted by a singing Blackcap. We continued through the forest, hearing many Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs, as well as a few more Blackcaps.

Once we had arrived at the second hide, we scanned the reservoir and immediately spotted a close in Common Sandpiper. We could also see a few distant Little Egrets, but not much else. We then continued through the forest, greeted by a choir of singing Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers and Blackcaps. We could still intermittently hear the distant Cuckoo. 

Halfway through the forest I heard an odd Blackcap song. I got Merlin (a sound ID app) out and it confirmed my thoughts. I was hearing a Garden Warbler. I walked towards the singing bird, hands cupped around my ears. Suddenly, I spotted a dull bird singing beautifully at the top of a conifer tree. It was a Garden Warbler. It gave prolonged views as it sung at the top of a conifer tree.

It then dropped down and gave even better views lower down the conifer tree. It was a phenomenal bird to see, and a bird I was unsure if I was going to even get this year. Happy with our sighting, we set off to our new patch.

As soon as we arrived at our patch, we noticed a large moth fly past and land on a blade of grass. After confirming it with an expert, we identified it as a Common Carpet, a new moth for me and my first moth on the patch!

We then did a loop around the patch, getting two patch ticks in the form of a Sparrowhawk -which I was alerted to by distressed Blackbird- and a Chaffinch. We also spotted a few showy Whitethroats, and got a brief view of the Grasshopper Warbler. Satisfied with our day so far, we set off to RSPB Marshside in hopes of seeing Lesser Whitethroats.

We arrived at RSPB Marshside at Fairclough's Viewpoint at 3:00am where a Lesser Whitethroat had been reported two days in a row. As soon as we arrived, I spotted a Whitethroat and a showy Sedge Warbler. I then scanned the marsh, and spotted a Spoonbill. We also saw a large flock of Swifts, which were a year tick, along with a few Swallows and a House Martin.

We then walked towards Rimmer's Marsh where a Little Stint and a Curlew Sandpiper had been reported. Once we arrived at the site, we noticed a large flock of Dunlin as well as many Sand Martins, however, we couldn't find our target waders. We then looped back down to the car, spotting a Wheatear and a Reed Warbler on the way back. Happy with our day, we made our way home.

Overall, a great day, not straying too far from home, finding a new patch and spotting all my target summer migrants (Grasshopper Warbler & Garden Warbler).