Photos:
Yellowhammer at the feeding station
Adult Mediterranean Gull, Meadow Pipit, second winter Iceland Gull and an odd ringed bird which I think is either an extreme argentatus Herring Gull or a hybrid Herring x Lesser Black-backed Gull
Adult Mediterranean Gull sleeping at Pennington Flash and third winter Iceland Gull here
26th February
I took Bill for a walk first thing to HGF. It was one of those nice spring-type mornings and birds were singing everywhere. The prize for the best singer had to go to the male Skylark in the south field as two other birds looked on. A Ringed Plover also flew up here and circled the field, calling, before flying off high to the east. Presumably one of the birds David Bowman saw yesterday.
On the pool the waterfowl numbers had changed again since yesterday although the Wigeon flock was pretty much the same at 72 birds. Yesterdays three Goldeneye were still there and while I watched, a second Oystercatcher arrived back on territory. Interestingly there was little fanfare between the two birds, a brief spot of calling and then straight down to synchronised feeding which makes me suspect that maybe the second bird (the male, as it seems females pick the territories?) had already arrived back at some point yesterday. I also heard a Curlew calling but didn’t see it – I have never seen one here.
Buzzard, Kestrel, 8 Grey Partidges (2+2+4), three overflying Cormorants and displaying Great Crested Grebes (including a pair which have started building next to the shore – doomed) all added to the enjoyment of the morning. I briefly checked the feeding station but nothing much was doing. 61 Woodpigeons were perched up in the Ash trees in the garden again and 12 Goldfinches were on the feeders.
I left Bill at home and headed over to Richmond Bank. Walking up the path I could see lots of gulls in the distance over the bank so my hopes lifted (Sunday is usually poor) and I began to hope for a few white-wingers after Pete Kinsella’s mega haul yesterday. His Kumlien’s would be nice too!
Near the top of the path I met three birders who were scanning a few gulls by the water’s edge a few hundred yards down river of the bank. I had scanned these birds from distance while walking up the path and had seen an adult Med – they hadn’t so I showed them the bird in question.
On arrival at the bank, I would guess there were 3-4000 gulls present. I immediately spotted a second winter Iceland Gull and let the other birders view through my scope (this was the species they had come to see) and while they were looking, the flock spooked and flew off. The birds did quickly come back down for around five minutes, during which time I found two more second winter Iceland Gulls and got the other birders onto both. Then the flock spooked again and this time the vast majority of the gulls flew directly away down river. The reason, I saw, was a birder who was walking down off the tip and onto the opposite bank just behind the gulls. He sauntered around with his scope over his shoulder but clearly wasn’t interested in gulls – he kept watching the birches and alders, presumably for finch flocks. I could have strangled the bu**er!
A few of the gulls did settle back down but some way off up river. The palest of the second winter Iceland Gulls did return and I also saw what I think is an interesting ringed gull which looks like a Herring Gull but with upper parts slightly darker than a Yellow-legged Gull and a very different tone. I guess probably a very dark argentatus or maybe a hybrid with a Lesser Black-backed Gull? The bird had pale, flesh-coloured legs and was also ringed. The rings looked very much like the Ribble Marshes type. Someone started shooting then and all of the gulls swiftly departed.
Late afternoon, after watching a stonking male Reed Bunting in full breeding plumage feeding in the garden, I decided to take Bill to Pennington. On the way I briefly stopped at the feeding station. Around 80 Tree Sparrows and 9 Yellowhammers were present plus a handful of House Sparrows. I never see the number of the latter species here that David reports.
On arrival at Penny I went straight to Horrocks Hide and was happy to find it empty – Sunday is always dodgy here for kids etc messing about in the hides. Almost immediately I picked up a third winter Iceland Gull swimming to the left of the spit. A good look at the pale chevrons on its primaries confirmed it is the usual bird. It spent most of its time on the end of the spit behind two young GBBG’s. I scanned the water near the yacht club and soon found a sleeping adult Med. This one was in full breeding plumage and therefore a different bird to the one I saw on Friday.
There was a steady stream of people coming into the hide and hoping for an Iceland Gull so I let several use my scope to look at the third winter bird. There wasn’t much else around and at around 5pm a microlight buzzed the flash and spooked everything. I had also just been kicked out of the hide again by the Ranger (locking up time) so I went home.
27th February
No birding today
28th February
An early morning visit to HGF wasn’t particularly fruitfull. Just a single drake Goldeneye was the only bird of interest. I stopped briefly at the feeding station on my way past into work – 43 Tree Sparrows and 6 Yellowhammers were busy feeding.
I took Bill for a walk first thing to HGF. It was one of those nice spring-type mornings and birds were singing everywhere. The prize for the best singer had to go to the male Skylark in the south field as two other birds looked on. A Ringed Plover also flew up here and circled the field, calling, before flying off high to the east. Presumably one of the birds David Bowman saw yesterday.
On the pool the waterfowl numbers had changed again since yesterday although the Wigeon flock was pretty much the same at 72 birds. Yesterdays three Goldeneye were still there and while I watched, a second Oystercatcher arrived back on territory. Interestingly there was little fanfare between the two birds, a brief spot of calling and then straight down to synchronised feeding which makes me suspect that maybe the second bird (the male, as it seems females pick the territories?) had already arrived back at some point yesterday. I also heard a Curlew calling but didn’t see it – I have never seen one here.
Buzzard, Kestrel, 8 Grey Partidges (2+2+4), three overflying Cormorants and displaying Great Crested Grebes (including a pair which have started building next to the shore – doomed) all added to the enjoyment of the morning. I briefly checked the feeding station but nothing much was doing. 61 Woodpigeons were perched up in the Ash trees in the garden again and 12 Goldfinches were on the feeders.
I left Bill at home and headed over to Richmond Bank. Walking up the path I could see lots of gulls in the distance over the bank so my hopes lifted (Sunday is usually poor) and I began to hope for a few white-wingers after Pete Kinsella’s mega haul yesterday. His Kumlien’s would be nice too!
Near the top of the path I met three birders who were scanning a few gulls by the water’s edge a few hundred yards down river of the bank. I had scanned these birds from distance while walking up the path and had seen an adult Med – they hadn’t so I showed them the bird in question.
On arrival at the bank, I would guess there were 3-4000 gulls present. I immediately spotted a second winter Iceland Gull and let the other birders view through my scope (this was the species they had come to see) and while they were looking, the flock spooked and flew off. The birds did quickly come back down for around five minutes, during which time I found two more second winter Iceland Gulls and got the other birders onto both. Then the flock spooked again and this time the vast majority of the gulls flew directly away down river. The reason, I saw, was a birder who was walking down off the tip and onto the opposite bank just behind the gulls. He sauntered around with his scope over his shoulder but clearly wasn’t interested in gulls – he kept watching the birches and alders, presumably for finch flocks. I could have strangled the bu**er!
A few of the gulls did settle back down but some way off up river. The palest of the second winter Iceland Gulls did return and I also saw what I think is an interesting ringed gull which looks like a Herring Gull but with upper parts slightly darker than a Yellow-legged Gull and a very different tone. I guess probably a very dark argentatus or maybe a hybrid with a Lesser Black-backed Gull? The bird had pale, flesh-coloured legs and was also ringed. The rings looked very much like the Ribble Marshes type. Someone started shooting then and all of the gulls swiftly departed.
Late afternoon, after watching a stonking male Reed Bunting in full breeding plumage feeding in the garden, I decided to take Bill to Pennington. On the way I briefly stopped at the feeding station. Around 80 Tree Sparrows and 9 Yellowhammers were present plus a handful of House Sparrows. I never see the number of the latter species here that David reports.
On arrival at Penny I went straight to Horrocks Hide and was happy to find it empty – Sunday is always dodgy here for kids etc messing about in the hides. Almost immediately I picked up a third winter Iceland Gull swimming to the left of the spit. A good look at the pale chevrons on its primaries confirmed it is the usual bird. It spent most of its time on the end of the spit behind two young GBBG’s. I scanned the water near the yacht club and soon found a sleeping adult Med. This one was in full breeding plumage and therefore a different bird to the one I saw on Friday.
There was a steady stream of people coming into the hide and hoping for an Iceland Gull so I let several use my scope to look at the third winter bird. There wasn’t much else around and at around 5pm a microlight buzzed the flash and spooked everything. I had also just been kicked out of the hide again by the Ranger (locking up time) so I went home.
27th February
No birding today
28th February
An early morning visit to HGF wasn’t particularly fruitfull. Just a single drake Goldeneye was the only bird of interest. I stopped briefly at the feeding station on my way past into work – 43 Tree Sparrows and 6 Yellowhammers were busy feeding.
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