Pilling Pinks

 As promised in my last post I am now showing images of the pink footed geese that are in the Pilling area and are feeding on the many potatoes left unharvested in the flooded fields.It was not easy to find the geese but I did eventually find reasonable numbers within range of the camera and am pleased with the results shown below.You will also see that I have included further images of the whooper swans.

It has been an interesting experience looking for these winter visitors from Iceland and we are lucky here in Lancashire that these birds find the Lancashire mosslands so attractive.I understand that many of the geese are stopping off here to refuel on their way to Norfolk.Hope you enjoy the latest batch of images and I will be out and about again soon to bring you more of Lancashire's wonderful wildlife.Thanks for looking in and stay safe and well in these difficult times.

Wonderful Whoopers

 At this time of the year I look forward to the arrival of whooper swans and pink footed geese from their breeding grounds in Iceland.As last year the heavy autumnal rains had flooded many of the agricultural fields in the Pilling area.The lakes that had appeared are very attractive to Whooper swans and probably remind them of the lakes back home in Iceland.This area of Lancashire is famous for growing potatoes and following the floods many potatoes are unable to be harvested and are left for the swans and geese.This food supply keeps the swans and geese in the area and a visit to the Pilling and Cockerham mosslands will guarantee some nice sightings of these magnificent birds.

I made a number of visits to the area and found a large concentration of whooper swans in the Eagland Hill area of Pilling.The birds seemed to make Eagland Hill their HQ and could be seen there everyday.Numbers would visit other areas and return to roost late afternoon.I enjoyed myself taking many images of the swans as shown below.They are fascinating to observe as they greet each other with wonderful bugling calls and elaborate displays.Hope you enjoy the images and I will return again as the swans will probably be around through the winter months.

Thanks for looking in and my next posting will feature the pink footed geese.Stay safe and follow the covid rules in this time of lockdown.

 

Starlings and a Barn Owl

Last week despite the very wet and stormy weather I did manage to get out with the camera.My main objective were the whooper swans and pinkfoot geese that had arrived to spend the winter months in Lancashire.My favourite area to see them is in the Pilling area.Eagland Hill is a favoured spot and I concentrated my efforts in that area.I did obtain some excellent images of the swans and geese but this post is about the thousands of starlings feeding on the farmland and a visit to a local barn owl.

The numbers of starlings present was staggering and my images don't really do justice to the amazing spectacle.I cant even guess at the numbers present but many many thousands.This is a favourite area to see starlings feeding before moving to their roosting locations at Blackpool.On the way home I called at a local barn owl spot to find one bird out hunting which posed nicely for me on a farm gate.It had been an exciting afternoon with the starlings and swans and geese the images of which I wii post later.Thanks for looking in and I will be back soon.