<%@LANGUAGE="JAVASCRIPT" CODEPAGE="1252"%> Lancaster and District Birdwatching Society Newsletter
Newsletter of the Lancaster and District Birdwatching Society
MARKS REALITY DIARY -Dec/Jan/Feb
Spring 2001
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DECEMBER

The cold and snow at the end of the month brought Waxwing to the area, my only new bird of December.   Hope everyone managed to see some and that there are more in January. The league has been going for three years now and I have yet to see 200 species in one year.  However, during that time I have managed to see 204 overall.   I seem to be averaging just over 180 and hopefully 2001 will be a good year for me to improve on this.

JANUARY

My New Year's Day listing took place around the Leighton Moss areas and Pine Lake for duck, due to the Moss being frozen.  Also travelling to Carr Bank for the obliging Waxwing.  My total for the day was 80.   I only had two days this year before I had to go back to work,  these were spent just visiting the Moss, Woodwell and Teal Bay.

Finally reached the hundred mark on the 20th by visiting Pilling , Bank End, Cockersands, Scorton, Bowland, and Milnthorpe Sewage Works; many of the hot spots.  The coastal areas produced many of my new birds for the 21st to 31st period.  My new birds included Grey Plover and Yellow-legged Gull at Teal Bay, Med Gull, Spotted Redshank and Purple Sandpiper at the Stone Jetty, D.B. Brent from the Battery and Greenland White-front and Rock Pipit on Heaton Marsh.  Other non coastal included Tawny Owl at Woodwell and Yellowhammer at the Row.  My total for the month was the same as last year at 118.

FEBRUARY

After January's rush of birds, February has been quiet.   First new bird was Kingfisher from Lilians hide on the 3rd.   I missed the Slavonian Grebe from Jenny Browns Point on Friday 9th as I have to work five days a week, unlike others!   Fortunately it was relocated on the Allen Pool on  the Sunday and stayed for nearly a week.  Nothing else new until the end of the month, when a trip to Bullpot for Short-eared Owl produced a Ringtail Hen Harrier, but no owl.  Finally, on the last evening of the month at 10.00pm, Barn Owl on the Heysham bypass.  I will be in Mexico for most of March but, for those remaining, the outbreak of foot and mouth disease and the closure of all reserves and footpaths, will continue to make birding difficult.   I finished February on 122 species and 194 points.




Birdtours.co.uk
Worldbirder.com
Local Sightings
LDBWS Website
Newsletter Index