With the days getting a tad longer, I got onto Ainsdale beach early today and had a quick squint before work.
Good strong wind and showers meant the place was quiet (the dogwalkers and kiters hadn't woken up yet), so plenty of gulls were riding out the storm on the beach and it wasn't long before I picked up the nice adult Med moulting into summer plumage at the front of the blurry pic above (no scope).
Don't know if it's the same bird Chris Tynan had a few days back or a different one?
Good variety of Herring and Commons in all manner of plumages, which I went through carefully having read up on Thayer's Gull last night - if you ever succumb to the unlikely combination of insomnia and over-confidence, I can recommend trying to gen up on Thayer's - your brain will fry and you'll fall asleep before you know it.
As far as I can make out, the best thing you do if you come across a likely candidate is to run away in the opposite direction. Fast.
Left the gulls in peace and went to work.
Hordes of roosting Cormorants off the Green Beach later, but otherwise quiet, apart from the first winter Glauc bathing at the front of the roost at Weld Road over the tide.
No sign of the second year bird today.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
- Post to:
del.icio.us
Digg
Newsvine
Nowpublic
Reddit
« Previous | Home | Next »
Hi John,
That is a different Med from mine as the one we had was colour ringed red on right leg.
On Marshside/Crossens saltmarsh this afternoon an adult Great Skua chased 2 Great Black-backs from a carcase, which it then dined on.
Also there the Great White Egret quite close to the Marine Drive; flock of 22 Twites on the wire fence, 16 European Whitefronts and 18 Barnacle Geese with c.2000 Pinkfeet.
A covey of 13 Grey Partridges on M2 my highest count here for many a year.
Another search through the Downholland Pinkfeet this afternoon produced a pair of Tundra Beans, one being much smaller than the other. These are certainly different birds from the groups of four and three seen recently, making at least nine Beans in the area.
Hi John,
The Glaucous Gull still present Weld Rd at lunch today. Finally caught up with 2 Tundra Bean Geese on Downholland a few days ago plus a party of 4 European Whitefront following day. An adult male Peregrine present today 24/1 top end of Plex and the Stonechat was still around a couple of days ago along with a group of 8 Yellowhammers. A Merlin and the Red Kite still present today at Altcar.
Raven and Short Eared Owl over Altcar Rifle Range and Cabin Hill respectively today.