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Treecreeper and Jay were seen in the grounds of Muncaster Castle, near Ravenglass. It's home to the World Owl Trust, where I go every time I am on holiday in the Lake District. Saw the Treecreepers as soon as I'd paid admission - saw this sparrow-sized bird making a spiral-like ascent of the tree trunk! "TREECREEPER!! YES!!" was my rather excited response - saw another only two metres from the front room of our holiday cottage as well, the next day! A lovely start to that day as well, Dad driving on the A66 with one of the Bassenthwaite Ospreys flying directly over the car with a fish in its claws!!! My jaw was dangling on the tarmac!
Very, very lucky indeed to see my first active swallows' nests during the week. 5 little gapes peeping out of the top of the first one (awwww bless!), with very regular feeding from both parents. I saw another three before the week was out!
Whinlatter's bird feeding station gave my parents their first sightings of Siskin, with Chaffinches, Blue Tits and Coal Tits also feeding. That's where I heard and saw the Cuckoo. The whole woodland around Whinlatter was teeming with Chaffinches, and Chiffchaffs too.
Grey Wagtail was seen almost immediately after arriving as our holiday cottage backed on to the River Greta at Keswick. 5 mins after crossing the river, you're out on to the hillside and Latrigg is barely any distance. The mature treeline across the Greta housed Chaffinch, Blue Tit, Robin, Wren (that sang at 06:00 every morning on top of the outhouse roof), Blackbird, a few Chiffchaff, many Jackdaws and the occasional Carrion Crow. Throughout the week we got great through-the-cottage window views of a female Red-breasted Merganser, a family of Mallards, two Dippers and two Grey Herons. All done without leaving the cottage!
Nuthatch, Bullfinch and the Red Squirrels were seen from the bird hide at Brockhole, which overlooks Lake Windermere. Nuthatch and Bullfinch were my two 'target birds' for the week, so I was very, very happy to have seen them just a few minutes apart on the tables outside the hide, especially as I was beginning to feel unwell with a stomach bug. Also seen from there were Coal Tit, Greater Spotted Woodpecker, Jackdaw, Blackbird, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Robin (with young) and Wren. A walk made by my parents whilst I was nursing my stomach bug produced Stonechat and a buzzard.
Managed the short walk up to the former site of the Dodd Wood Osprey viewpoint (I was still suffering) to see if I could get lucky Osprey-wise again. I say former, as the birds have nested in a slightly different place and the site was another half-mile walk. I wasn't going to separate myself from the nearest loo by that distance, what with my dodgy innards so cut my losses by looking at the birds on the feeders set up there. More Jays, another Greater Spotted Woodpecker, Jackdaws, crows, yet more Chaffinches, Coal Tits, Siskins, Wrens, Blackbirds etc with a buzzard and Grey Heron sighted during my time there.
There were telescopes still set up there for visitors to use, so made the best of the opportunity to give all of them a go. I am now set on a 20-60 zoom. the supplied binoculars at the holiday cottage were (I think) 8x40s, with a really bright picture and SHOCK!!! HORROR!!! I will upgrade my bins shortly, too, despite enormous sentimental attachment to my late grandfather's 20x50s which I shall never get rid of.
No fewer than SEVEN Kestrels seen on the journey home, at Giggleswick, 1 hunting alongside the M62, 2 hunting close to Ferrybridge services, another 5 miles further south, 1 close to Carlton-on-Trent and the other I reported in the Lincs Sightings thread. A good holiday, slightly marred by health but worth it for the 6 lifers!
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