Lancashire & Cheshire Fauna Society Registered Charity 500685 www.lacfs.org.uk Publication No. 116 Lancashire Bird Report 2013 The Birds of Lancashire and North Merseyside S. J. White (Editor) D. A. Bickerton, M. Breaks, S. Dunstan, N. Godden, R. Harris B. McCarthy, P. J. Marsh, S.J. Martin, T. Vaughan, J. F. Wright. 2 Lancashire Bird Report 2013 CONTENTS Introduction Dave Bickerton 3 Review of the Year John Wright 5 Systematic List (in the revised BOU order) Swans Tim Vaughan 11 Geese Steve White 13 Ducks Nick Godden 17 Gamebirds Steve Martin 28 Divers to cormorants Bob Harris 31 Herons to Spoonbill Steve White 35 Grebes Bob Harris 38 Raptors to Crane Steve White 39 Avocet to plovers Tim Vaughan 44 Whimbrel to Snipe Steve White 50 Skuas Pete Marsh 65 Auks to terns Steve White 67 Gulls Mark Breaks 72 Doves Barry McCarthy 79 Falcons Steve White 82 Parakeets to Woodpeckers Barry McCarthy 84 Shrikes to tits Dave Bickerton 90 Larks to hirundines Barry McCarthy 97 Warblers to Waxwing Stephen Dunstan 100 Nuthatch to starlings Dave Bickerton 109 Dipper to chats Barry McCarthy 110 Dunnock to sparrows Stephen Dunstan 120 Wagtails and pipits Barry McCarthy 121 Finches to buntings Dave Bickerton 128 Escapes and Category D Steve White 138 Lancashire Ringing Report Pete Marsh 141 Three firsts for Lancashire Killdeer, Alston Wetland Gavin Thomas 156 Two-barred Crossbill Gavin Thomas 156 Baikal Teal Craig Bell 157 Significant Second Greenish Warbler Antony Wainwright 158 History of Pied Flycatchers in the Lune Valley John Wilson 160 Review of Caspian Gull Records in Lancashire Chris Batty/Chris Kehoe 162 Migrant Dates, Rarity reporting Steve White 164 100 Years of the Lancashire & Cheshire Fauna Society 1914 - 2014 Peter Hornby 167 Contributors 171 Front cover: Greenish Warbler (John Barlow) Back cover:Two-barred Crossbill (Steve Young) Lancashire Bird Report 2013 3 Introduction Dave Bickerton One hundred years ago, a committed band of naturalists in the North West of England endeavoured to put on record, the sightings and specimens obtained for as many of the faunal groups as possible. The timing inauspiciously coincided with the outbreak of war but this didn’t seem to be a hurdle they couldn’t overcome. And so the Lancashire and Cheshire Fauna Committee was formed with those very objectives of recording and publishing data on the fauna of the counties. It is interesting to browse through the first reports and how the emphasis on faunal groups has changed with the avifauna hardly getting a mention yet taking up the lion’s share of the publication space nowadays. Peter Hornby has written an article that appears later in this report summarising the history of the Society from its formation to the present day. The 2014 Annual General Meeting of the society was held on the first Saturday of March as usual and we celebrated the Centenary with anecdotes from long standing members, lunch and reminiscences afterwards. There was a good turnout including four people who were members 50 years ago – that’s what I call commitment! Members who attended the 2014 Annual General Meeting in Burscough (Left to right) Tony Cooper, Bob Byefinch, Frank Walsh, Dave Bickerton, Harry Shorrock, Maurice Jones, Rob Yates, Charlie Liggett, Jenny Walton, Pete Marsh, Jimmy Chubb, Steve White, Stephen Dunstan, Peter Hornby, Alex Whitlock, Alan Creaser, Bob Harris. I suspect that the recording of other faunal groups is on the verge of making a comeback as more comprehensive and accessible field guides to the species become available, much as they did for birds in the fifties. One only has to go on the Brockholes Facebook page to see the diverse interest people have and the number of people involved. However, these websites can be rather ephemeral and so it is important that we get a written public record. I’m sure there are enthusiasts out there who could and maybe would take on a more supportive role in the naturalist community and provide the record ratification process that’s sought by many. In Lancashire we have a panel of birders that meet to discuss submitted records of county rarities. Similarly there is a network based on Vice-counties for Moths and Butterflies; there is a link on our website to the Lancashire Moth Group for example 4 Lancashire Bird Report 2013 so if you have a link for other faunal groups or would like to get something on the web under the L&CFS website, then let us know. The results of the bird atlas work carried out up to 2011 was published in sections in pdf form on the website. I know many of you have managed to have a look through and liked what you saw. We’ll soon be in a position to publish an Atlas of the Dragonflies of Lancashire and North Merseyside but this time in paper form, so be on the lookout for that in the coming months. 2013 was a rather splendid year in terms of the birding scene with three firsts for the county; two, rather unusually in the east – Killdeer at Alston Wetland and Two-barred Crossbill in Bowland, and a Baikal Teal at Marshside. Add to that some notable seconds, Greenish Warbler and Semipalmated Sandpiper, and a great supporting cast, it all made for an exceptional year. I hope you enjoy reading all about it in this special full-colour centenary edition. As usual we have adopted the latest changes in the systematic order suggested by the BOU which moves falcons and changes the order of the finches in the main. Once again I’d like to thank all the authors of the accounts, the members of the records committee and especially Steve White for the hours and days they put into getting this report together - all on a completely volutary basis. The large number of authors really helps in reducing individual workload so if you would like to help, let Steve know as soon as possible. I would also like to thank Frank Walsh who stood down from the post of Chairman at the AGM for his contributions over his considerable period in post. Lancashire & Cheshire Fauna Society Elected Officials of the Lancashire and Cheshire Fauna Society Chairman:Alex Whitlock, 9 Sykefield, Brierfield, Lancs. BB9 5NB e-mail: [email protected] Secretary: Dave Bickerton, 64 Petre Crescent, Rishton, Lancs, BB1 4RB Tel: 01254 886257 e-mail: [email protected] Treasurer: Rob Yates 68 Shore Road, Hesketh Bank, Preston, Lancashire PR4 6RD e-mail: [email protected] Report Editor and Lancashire Bird Recorder: Steve White, 102 Minster Court, Crown Street, Liverpool, L7 3QD Tel: 0151-707 2744 e-mail: [email protected] Next Annual General Meeting, 10am Saturday 7th March 2015 – see website for details of location which will be announced nearer the date. Membership of the Lancashire and Cheshire Fauna Society is still just £10 per annum – this includes a copy of the Lancashire Bird Report posted to your home address and any General Reports published. The Society is a non-profit making charity, run totally by volunteers who give many hours of their time freely. It provides data that are key in many aspects of conservation in Lancashire – we are regularly asked for our opinion on developments that may have an ecological impact or for information regarding areas of the county that need protection. We work closely in association with the Lancashire Wildlife Trust, RSPB, BTO, Butterfly Conservation, etc. and many members are active in those organisations. So if you aren’t already a member, please consider joining us and supporting the work we do. Details can be obtained from the website (www.lacfs.org.uk) or directly from the Honorary Secretary. We regularly have a stand at the North-west Bird Fair held at Martin Mere in November and look forward to meeting many members there. Lancashire Bird Report 2013 5 REVIEW OF THE YEAR, 2013 John Wright 2013 will long be remembered for the rare and scarce birds that visited the county. It was also memorable for a long hot summer which benefitted many resident species and summer visitors. With a mild winter to end the year things looked hopeful for the county’s birds going into 2014. JANUARY The month began with a generally mild and settled spell, with only modest rainfall amounts and some fog. It turned much colder for a fortnight from the 12th with several significant snowfalls. Toward the end of the month, milder and changeable conditions brought rain and strong winds. The first sighting of note in what turned out to be the year of the unexpected was a blue-morph Lesser Snow Goose which accompanied the Pink-footed Goose flocks at various sites in north Fylde from the 13th. Tundra Bean Geese were also on the Fylde with singles seen at Pilling, Lytham Moss and Fleetwood. Adding to the variety were a Greenland White-fronted Goose at Lytham Moss and Dark- and Pale-bellied Brent Geese at Pilling. A Slavonian Grebe was a good find at Lower Rivington Reservoir on the 13th. The first of nine Black-throated Divers seen offshore this year was off Blackpool on the 25th – a good return for this tricky species. In the south-west an immature Spoonbill remained on the Ribble Marshes from 2012 and a Common Crane was at MMWWT and surrounding areas from the 7th. Carrion Crows now rival Rooks and Jackdaws for their winter roosts, with an assembly of 400 at the Delph Plantations partic- ularly noteworthy. FEBRUARY The first half of the month was generally unsettled, with variable temperatures and periods of rain and snow at times.