I have been ignoring my local patch for two weeks now & left early this morning to grill* my area. It felt a bit autumnal this morning as the tits were gathering in a Holm oak in Bell Vue Park, calling as they joined with other species searching for insects. The extensive cover made it impossible to see anything but got both Great & Blue tit on call.
There was a scattering of Robins about & a couple of wrens but no passerine migrants to be found. I then cut my way down to the net posts area but nothing there either. It wasn’t looking too good so far but I checked every bush tree & net post so far & I was confident I had missed nothing. Once on the sea wall I attempted a sea watch but with a light south westerly coming of the land I was just kidding myself. Not even a Porpoise to observe.
Hooray at last it begun to pick up with two Turnstones on the outfall wall at Ness Point. The legs were checked for colour rings & I carried on towards Hamilton Dock. Many of the Kittiwakes have gone now but the west-facing wall still held a good number of adults, which looked as though they were still incubating eggs. No Shags were seen but there were two Cormorants on the rocks. I decided to visit the South Pier next to have a look at the Sabine’s. It was seen asleep on the rocks by Children’s Corner & moulting fast around the head, but those primaries are still very scruffy. Lots of Loafing Juvenile Larus Gulls were on Waveney Dock & a good grill through the lot brought nothing unusual. So far it had been a relatively negative day & I was beginning to think that I would be better off decorating.
Back at Hamilton Dock the adult Yellow Legged Gull was perched on a rock right beside the nominate race. Comparison between the two was easily seen. The YLG had a flatter head & sharper look about it. The mantle was a lot darker than it’s neighbor & of course those straw yellow legs.
Once back along the Sea wall to Ness Pont I kept one eye on the sea but nothing.
The groynes at last produced something good, the adult Summer Yellow legged Gull was sitting on it’s favorite post & as usual good views were obtained, but hang on. This bird had a much lighter Mantle than the one in Hamilton Dock but it had the yellow legs!
I double backed & photographed the Hamilton Dock gull, which was still there. I am sure that there are two there now. Unless the Hamilton Dock bird was a pale legged Lesser Black Back? (String alert)
Each & every groyne was scanned & I picked up a couple of Little Gulls & some juvenile Common & Sandwich Terns. At the end of the walk I found a Juv Arctic Tern!
Oh well certainly not the best day. But the walk did me good.
Colin J.
* Grill. To systematically search for birds or to observe a bird for a long time.
There was a scattering of Robins about & a couple of wrens but no passerine migrants to be found. I then cut my way down to the net posts area but nothing there either. It wasn’t looking too good so far but I checked every bush tree & net post so far & I was confident I had missed nothing. Once on the sea wall I attempted a sea watch but with a light south westerly coming of the land I was just kidding myself. Not even a Porpoise to observe.
Hooray at last it begun to pick up with two Turnstones on the outfall wall at Ness Point. The legs were checked for colour rings & I carried on towards Hamilton Dock. Many of the Kittiwakes have gone now but the west-facing wall still held a good number of adults, which looked as though they were still incubating eggs. No Shags were seen but there were two Cormorants on the rocks. I decided to visit the South Pier next to have a look at the Sabine’s. It was seen asleep on the rocks by Children’s Corner & moulting fast around the head, but those primaries are still very scruffy. Lots of Loafing Juvenile Larus Gulls were on Waveney Dock & a good grill through the lot brought nothing unusual. So far it had been a relatively negative day & I was beginning to think that I would be better off decorating.
Back at Hamilton Dock the adult Yellow Legged Gull was perched on a rock right beside the nominate race. Comparison between the two was easily seen. The YLG had a flatter head & sharper look about it. The mantle was a lot darker than it’s neighbor & of course those straw yellow legs.
Once back along the Sea wall to Ness Pont I kept one eye on the sea but nothing.
The groynes at last produced something good, the adult Summer Yellow legged Gull was sitting on it’s favorite post & as usual good views were obtained, but hang on. This bird had a much lighter Mantle than the one in Hamilton Dock but it had the yellow legs!
I double backed & photographed the Hamilton Dock gull, which was still there. I am sure that there are two there now. Unless the Hamilton Dock bird was a pale legged Lesser Black Back? (String alert)
Each & every groyne was scanned & I picked up a couple of Little Gulls & some juvenile Common & Sandwich Terns. At the end of the walk I found a Juv Arctic Tern!
Oh well certainly not the best day. But the walk did me good.
Colin J.
* Grill. To systematically search for birds or to observe a bird for a long time.
