I tagged along with my daughter Katherine while she was doing a BTO Breeding Bird Survey near Scarisbrick, Lancashire. So a 7am start on site was called for!
On route we had to drive across Curlew Road which had several Corn Buntings in the grass verges. We could only stop briefly as it was a single track road and other cars were using it (at 6:45 on a Sunday!).
The trip was very enjoyable with a lot of birds seen, albeit most of them common species. The first half of the route was through a rural village and mixed farming area and the second part along the side of the Liverpool to Leeds Canal. It just happened that dozens of fishermen lined the route as they were setting up for a match! That didn't seem to affect the survey though.
The highlights of the day were a family of Sedge Warblers being fed by the parents along the canal and a some Corn Buntings seen at close range along a narrow farm lane. It was interesting to see Oystercatchers and Shelducks in the farmland area, as this is not something that is a regular occurrence in Buckinghamshire!
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| Corn Bunting - Perched a few feet from the road and taken from behind the car door! |
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| It was breezy and the vegetation kept blowing in the way. |
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| Great Spotted Woodpecker - The only one we saw. |
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| Mistle Thrush - We had several sightings of this species, including a family party. |
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| Sedge Warblers - Two youngsters waiting to be fed. |
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| Adult just leaving after feeding one of the youngsters. |
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