June - Lancs Bird Report time

The one thing about having a bit of a quite time means that I can get on with overdue jobs like writing my sections of the Lancashire Bird Report. I normally try to start in April but some key data was not available and so it kept getting pushed back. Anyhow, the last few days I've managed to get stuck in and now I 'only' got Sparrows, Finches and Buntings to compile. It's a bit of a labour of love but I had to break off yesterday afternoon for a certain football game!

Rishton Reservoir has been very quiet of late with the water level dropping even further - the news that a hose pipe ban is imminent is of no surprise really considering the very dry conditions we've had for simply ages - all those cold northerlies don't bring much precipitation. There were eight grebes on the reservoir today with two of the pairs hauled up on the sandy bank - don't often see that. A single Oystercatcher was the only wader and a juvenile Black-headed Gull was with a few adults on the far bank.

In the garden, the bees on the cotoneaster have been rather entertaining with up to four species present at any one time. It was absolutely heaving with them a couple of days ago. I emptied the bird boxes and found that there was nothing left in any of them - all birds fledged and by the numbers of Great Tits visiting the garden, plenty of others have too. A new Blackbird family was making a right old din and the Sparrowhawks have started to put in an appearance again after an absence of a few weeks. The sight of a fresh juvenile Bullfinch along with an unringed adult male was a sign that they've bred successfully nearby but still no young Goldfinches yet.

Anyway, back to the bird report......