Birding in the Brock Valley! (1 Viewer)

[NickPatel92]

Midday today, Me and my Dad decided to go for a spot of birding on the edge of Forest of Bowland. We parked up at a Car park at Brock bottom, in the River Brock Valley, near Garstang, Lancs, UK.
We had a great 2 or 3 hours birding, walking along the river and back, the weather was ok, with rain on and off, but that didn't seem to stop the birds from singing.
It is definitely a place worth visiting, whilst we were there, we saw:

Blackbirds
Blackcaps
Black headed gull
Blue tits (with newly hatched fledglings)
Buzzard
Carrion crow
Chaffinches
Chiffchaff
Coal tits
Curlew
Dippers (3-male, female, juvenile)
Dunnock
Garden warbler
Goldcrest
Goldfinches
Great spotted woodpeckers (2 Adult coming down to feeders, and chicks in nest hole in tree)
Great tits
Grey wagtails
House martins
Lapwing
Long-tailed tits
Magpies
Nuthatches
Pheasant
Robins
Song thrushes
Sparrowhawk
Spotted flycatchers (2 - my first of this year showing well fairly near to the car park)
Treecreepers
Woodpigeons
Wrens.

There are other birds which have been seen here recently, but i didn't see today which include: Wood warblers, Redstarts and Pied flycatchers.

Other wildlife: Buck Roe deer, a few Shrews, a few Small white butterflies, and lots of Woodland flowers blooming including Dog violets.

All of the following BIRD (and Deer) pictures attached, are taken through Swarovski binoculars.

Nick.

 

[NickPatel92]

Here are some more pictures:

Nick.

 

[NickPatel92]

And the last of the pics - small Woodland flowers.

Nick.

 

[teamsaint]

wow nick, interesting technique with the camera and bins but the photos look quite good

 

[NickPatel92]

Back to Brock valley today, and beacon fell. Lots of birds to see:

Brock bottom: 2 Spotted flycatcher, 3+ Pied flycatcher, 2+ Nuthatch Great spotted woodpecker, Male Blackcap, Buzzard.

Waddecar scout camp: Pied flycatcher, 2 Grey wagtail, Great spotted woodpecker, 5+ Curlew, 2 Jay.

Beacon fell: 5+ tree pipit, 10+ Lesser redpoll, 2+ Common whitethroat, 2 Garden warbler, 2 Sparrowhawk, 4 Bullfinch, 2 canada goose, Chiffchaff, 10+ Willow warbler, 10+ Coal tit, 3 Mistle thrush, 10+ Woodpigeon, 2 Great tit, 10+ Swallow, 5+ Robin, 5+ Carrion crow, 2+ Song thrush, 5+ Wren.

All the birds that were seen at Beacon fell, including the very obliging and showing v.well Tree pipits which were seen from the Eastern car park, where it is much quieter, the habitat is a bit more suited for birds and wildlife (more scrub and mixture of trees) and a lot more birds, definitely the place to visit at Beacon fell.

If anyone wants excellent views of Tree pipit or Garden warbler or Lesser redpoll, the place to be is the eastern car park at Beacon fell-we were getting Tree pipits coming down to sing on trees not even 5 meters high and right next to the car park!

Nick.

 

[NickPatel92]

wow nick, interesting technique with the camera and bins but the photos look quite good

Thanks for these comments Tom. If you are out and all you have are your binoculars and a digital camera with you, try it, it's better than nothing, and it works!

Nick.

 

[NickPatel92]

Here are 2 pictures of a Spotted flycatcher on the 20th May 07, at Brock Bottom, Lancs.

Nick.

 

[ikw101]

Nick

Great to see the Brock has still got a decent variety of birdlife. I remember seeing my 1st Pied Flycatcher at Waddecar 30 years ago followed by crossbills and a sparrowhawk up at Beacon Fell. You've got a brilliant digibinning technique I've always had problems holding it altogether steady enough to get a decent shot. Thanks for sharing your details of your recent visits.
Ian

 

[NickPatel92]

Thanks for your comments Ian, it's nice to get a different persons view on the area, after all it is such a great area.

Nick.