About Graham Clarkson

Born & brought up in Marshside, I started birding there in the mid 1970s & made my first birding trip to Martin Mere in 1977. I've lived, worked & birdied in Abu Dhabi, Northern Ireland & Gloucestershire & I've spent time working in Kazakhstan & Madagascar. I enjoy birding my various West Lancashire patches, making frequent birding visits throughout the north-west of England and North Wales. I stray elsewhere in the UK & enjoy birding abroad from time to time. I'm particularly interested in wildfowl (especially pink-footed geese) with an interest in waders & raptors, bird counts & surveys & conservation. I'm trying to get the hang of photography & digiscoping - I'll get there eventually.

My degree from Edge Hill University is in conservation biology. I've guided on numerous birding days out & trips & guided birding holidays to Lesvos, Andalucia, Extremedura, Majorca, Camargue, Hungary, Finland & Florida. I enjoy showing people birds & habitats & helping them learn more about birds & enjoy birding. I'm currently involved with the Birdwatching and Beyond course at Edge Hill and a brand new venture; Skein Birding.

As well as birding I'm interested in captive breeding & reintroduction projects & zoos, how they're managed & how they contribute to conservation. I'm a proud Lancastrian & love the Lancashire countryside & landscapes. I'm an Evertonian & also keep up with what's happening at Southport, PNE & Bristol Rovers. Gardening, dogs (I have a Labrador & a Tibetan Terrier) and keeping chickens (especially Marsh Daisys & Scots Dumpy Bantams). Ruth & I have two marvellous boys who both love nature too. I hope you find the blog and subjects covered interesting; please feel free to leave a comment.

Tuesday 21 January 2014

Quicky in the sun

Nipped out for a few minutes this morning while the sun shone. I parked down Curlew Lane and soked up the singing Corn Buntings on the telegraph wires - a lovely sound from a rather dull, if enigmatic bird. As usual plenty of Whooper Swans and Pink-footed Geese on both Tarlscough Moss and Burscough Moss; no time to look through them though. Good to chat to Andy Bunting who pulled over. Andy gave me some ideas regarding the patchwork challenge recording area. Cheers Andy! 

 A typical West Lancs drive past view of Corn Buntings.....

A very quick walk (more exercise than birding) around Mere Sands Wood was great in the sun. Bird highlights were the usual gathering of wildfowl and a Chiffchaff roving about with a big flock of Long-tailed Tits, which also contained Goldcrests and a Treecreeper. Bull finches were showing well at the Lancaster hide and I managed a couple of reasonable shots (for me anyway!). Bumped into a lad who works at Tesco in Burscough, he was carrying a pair of bins and so I pointed out the Chiffchaff to him. Turns out he's on a conservation course at Myerscough College and is doing a study of the Red Squirrels in the wood -ace! He was telling me he's from Kenya, nice chap, hope his studies get him out of Tesco.... 

Male Bullfinch

Female Bullfinch

Male Chaffinch

A new dog breed for the year in the wood; a pair of Gordon Setters. Also a Manchester Terrier as I was driving home through Rufford; 85 on the dog year list - sad but true. 


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