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Wildlife: Birds

Ring Ousel

Birds
All pictures by kind permission of Mr Peter Guy

What a place to go birdwatching! The area around the village of Slaidburn holds a diverse range of bird species, due to the wide range of habitats present in such a relatively small area.

Major habitats include moorland, water bodies, farmland and woodland. Given these habitats, upland birds are the specialists, from red grouse on the hill tops to dippers on the swiftly flowing rivers in the valleys.

The moorlands in the area are home to a wide range of species, and are mostly designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Special Protection Area (SPA) for its important upland habitats and birds. A trip during from early spring and summer is usually the best time. Wading birds such as curlew are common, whilst the occasional snipe and golden plover can also be found. Song birds are also noticeable, with the closely related stonechat and whinchat often competing for the best territories – singing from the tops of bracken.

Red Grouse

Reed buntings can also be found in the wetter areas, in valley bottoms, whilst the elusive ring ouzel prefers the drier, rocky cloughs. The latter is in its Lancashire stronghold in the Forest of Bowland, though even here populations are falling dramatically.

female Hen Harrier

Birds of prey are also something that people are keen to see on the moorland, with the hen harrier often at the top of the must see list. Indeed, the Forest of Bowland is the most important site for breeding hen harriers in England. Peregrines can also be found, though merlins, present in good numbers, can be hard to see as they flash low over the heather, or stand inconspicuously on top of a rock or heather bush.

Dipper

Water bodies can range from small pools to rivers, streams and Stocks reservoir, the largest water body in Lancashire. From late winter/ early spring birds such as dipper, grey wagtail, common sandpiper, goosander and oystercatcher can regularly be seen, perhaps with the occasional kingfisher thrown in for good measure.

At Stocks reservoir a huge range of waterbirds can be seen all year round, from wintering ducks, passage wading birds as well as the odd seafaring species that gets blown inland, and ospreys on passage are a regular sight, particularly in spring. Stocks also has a good record for turning up the odd uncommon bird, such as the white-tailed sea eagle in 2004, pectoral sandpipers, spoonbill, green-winged teal – the list goes on.

Black Headed Gull

Also of note is the Gull colony at Stocks, where approximately 1,500 pairs of black-headed Gulls breed annually, with the occasional Mediterranean Gull also present. In autumn common Gulls move south from their more northerly breeding grounds, and roost on the reservoir through the winter – feeding on fields during the day.

The largest wood in Lancashire, in the form of Gisburn Forest, can also be found in the area, as well as a large number of more natural woodlands. The Slaidburn area is particularly noted for its large population of redstarts, a bird that was once common across the whole of the UK but has become increasingly marginalised to upland areas. That other upland wood specialist, the pied flycatcher, can also be heard calling from late April, though is less common than the redstart. Between 2003 and 2006 a single wintering great-grey shrike has been present along the woodland edge of Gisburn Forest, near the bird hide, but could be elusive!

Spotted Flycatcher

The farmland of Bowland is particularly noteworthy for its high populations of breeding wading birds, principally lapwing, curlew, redshank and snipe, though the latter two are much less obvious.

Lapwing

With a population of over 2,500 pairs in 1998, the lapwing is more common in Bowland than in the whole of Wales, where approximately 1,500 pairs have bred in recent years. Likewise the curlew has something like 2,800 pairs breeding on farmland in Bowland, with an estimated further 400 pairs on the moorland. From the start of March, onwards, these birds will start to arrive on their breeding grounds, often spending days or weeks in loose flocks as they establish pair bonds and wait for the spring to advance.

Enjoy!

Pete Wilson
RSPB Bowland Officer
January 2007