I got to Heysham nearly four hours before high tide on Friday, to do a quick check of the gull roost on Red Nab before setting off to walk along the sea wall to the harbour. There was few gains in that exercise, though it was good to see an adult Little Gull on the outfall, presumably the regular seen here, though I did note a left wing primary feather missing on this bird. Also of note, c.150 Turnstone on the old wooden jetty.
Back at Red Nab to watch the tide coming in, a new and first experience for me, was to eventually arrive at a count of at least 40 Mediterranean Gull by 11.30am, they were seen as 28 x adult, 6 x 2cy, and 6 x 1cy.
Rehbach Gravel Pit Leipzig Sachsen Germany. Image Courtesy of Team Leipzig Clik the pik
They included 2 marked birds, one ringed as a chick on 11 June in Germany, and reported seen again Friday 13 September at Heysham, when I was joined by Malcolm Downham to jointly agree after some difficulty on Yellow AZTZ. The other bird read as Green ASKL, was apparently misread, though the colour and code are available but not yet in use.
I'm grateful to Pete Marsh at Heysham, and Andreas in Germany for dealing with these readings for me, it is much appreciated.
At Conder Pool, 13 Greenshank and 15 Little Grebe, with 2 Common Sandpiper seen in the creeks. On the Lune Estuary, 6 Mediterranean Gull including a White ringed bird too distant to read, also 7 Greenshank, presumably Tuesdays juvenile Spotted Redshank seen again, c.650 Golden Plover, a single Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Snipe, 4 Goosander, and 2 Great-crested Grebe. A Peregrine Falcon came on the scene a couple of times causing mass panic.
There are a least 6 Mediterranean Gulls in this short video of a small section of the roost on Red Nab Friday 13 September.
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150 Turnstone sounds like an amazing number to me, Pete. I'm not good at gulls - would I be right in thinking I'm looking for the dark legs to spot the Meds? Best wishes - - - Richard
ReplyDeleteRichard....I don't have any comprehensive up to date figures in our area for Turnstone other than my own, but by coincidence, the same 150 count was made on the Wooden Jetty at Heysham on 9 April in 2017, and again the same count of 150 at Cockersand on 23 October the same year in my own records.
ReplyDeleteThe Med Gull adult is an all white-wing bird, with a drooping red bill, other younger birds are a different thing.