Photos:
Herring Gull of some description at Sidegate Landfill Site
Second winter Iceland Gull and second winter Glaucous Gulls at Ditchford GP's
21st February
Got home late last night, today off on the road again. This time I was going down the opposite side of the country and thus managed a late afternoon visit to Ditchford Gravel Pits again. When I rolled up there were no birders (it must be very under watched) and no birds. The pools were devoid of gulls so I headed for the tip (Sidegate Landfill Site) where there were clearly plenty of gulls feeding but very few in the surrounding fields. I did find one group of gulls in a field opposite the entrance to a factory and scanning through them found an interesting bird. It’s probably a Herring Gull and either a leucistic bird or an extreme argie or possibly a hybrid with a Glauc. I found one similar at Richmond Bank last year.
This bird differed though from the RB bird. First it was larger than all of the other Herring Gulls present. Secondly its overall appearance was much paler. Third it has a bill which, although not nailed on juvenile Glauc, is definitely on its way. Answers on a postcard….After these birds had all rejoined the tip, I scanned the tip for a bit and picked up the same bird again, briefly in flight. It definitely looked very Glauc-like at distance!
I got the feeling I wasn’t getting anywhere watching the tip and to be fair none of the white-wingers had been reported for nearly a week so I parked up back down the lane and headed off on a circular track which winds past the pools on the far side of the River Nene. There were lots of birds along the track – Chaffinches, Fieldfares, Redwings, Great Spotted Woody and a Treecreeper. After half a mile or so I could look back over the water sports pit. There were quite a few gulls flying down for a bath by then but nothing interesting. I decided to do a bit of exploring and headed farther along the track to the viaduct pools where some Smew had recently been seen. None today but lots of other ducks and a few gulls loafing about on a distant spit – these included a second winter Iceland Gull.
At this point some Canada Geese spooked and flew around honking and this in turn spooked the gulls. They flew off. With light fading I almost turned back, however I decided to follow the track underneath the old viaduct and see what was at the other side. Beyond, past a field full of horses, I found some shallow pools which were full of gulls. Included in this flock were a second winter Iceland Gull (presumably the earlier bird) and a second winter Glaucous Gull. The latter kept to itself and away from the other gulls even to the point where it hopped up onto the banking and then started walking through the field and down a hedgerow! Something disturbed it then and it flew back to the pool. I later checked and no one has been reporting gulls from here – I wonder if anyone looks?
Got home late last night, today off on the road again. This time I was going down the opposite side of the country and thus managed a late afternoon visit to Ditchford Gravel Pits again. When I rolled up there were no birders (it must be very under watched) and no birds. The pools were devoid of gulls so I headed for the tip (Sidegate Landfill Site) where there were clearly plenty of gulls feeding but very few in the surrounding fields. I did find one group of gulls in a field opposite the entrance to a factory and scanning through them found an interesting bird. It’s probably a Herring Gull and either a leucistic bird or an extreme argie or possibly a hybrid with a Glauc. I found one similar at Richmond Bank last year.
This bird differed though from the RB bird. First it was larger than all of the other Herring Gulls present. Secondly its overall appearance was much paler. Third it has a bill which, although not nailed on juvenile Glauc, is definitely on its way. Answers on a postcard….After these birds had all rejoined the tip, I scanned the tip for a bit and picked up the same bird again, briefly in flight. It definitely looked very Glauc-like at distance!
I got the feeling I wasn’t getting anywhere watching the tip and to be fair none of the white-wingers had been reported for nearly a week so I parked up back down the lane and headed off on a circular track which winds past the pools on the far side of the River Nene. There were lots of birds along the track – Chaffinches, Fieldfares, Redwings, Great Spotted Woody and a Treecreeper. After half a mile or so I could look back over the water sports pit. There were quite a few gulls flying down for a bath by then but nothing interesting. I decided to do a bit of exploring and headed farther along the track to the viaduct pools where some Smew had recently been seen. None today but lots of other ducks and a few gulls loafing about on a distant spit – these included a second winter Iceland Gull.
At this point some Canada Geese spooked and flew around honking and this in turn spooked the gulls. They flew off. With light fading I almost turned back, however I decided to follow the track underneath the old viaduct and see what was at the other side. Beyond, past a field full of horses, I found some shallow pools which were full of gulls. Included in this flock were a second winter Iceland Gull (presumably the earlier bird) and a second winter Glaucous Gull. The latter kept to itself and away from the other gulls even to the point where it hopped up onto the banking and then started walking through the field and down a hedgerow! Something disturbed it then and it flew back to the pool. I later checked and no one has been reporting gulls from here – I wonder if anyone looks?
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