Mediterranean Gull.
When I arrived at Conder Pool on Wednesday, someone was leaving the viewing platform, a nice man not serious about birding and just passing by I think. I said hello and asked if there were any Mediterranean Gull here, he answered saying he'd not seen any.
Mediterranean Gull Conder Pool 25 June. Pete Woodruff.
To my amazement, the first birds I saw were 7 Mediterranean Gull which were seen as 5 adult and 2x1st summer. It only took a few more minutes for me to pick up a total of 17 Mediterranean Gull, 8 adult, 7x2nd summer, and 2x1st summer birds.
I sensed a male following a female with a little posturing here....
Fourteen Mediterranean Gull in the video below....
I thought I was hallucinating, and I reckon the next birder to visit Conder Pool the following day thought he was too, when he found a total of 29 Mediterranean Gull....I think it'll be a while before this record is beaten!
Avocet & Common Sandpiper.
It didn't take long for another spectacle to develop, that of a line of 42 Avocet at the back of Conder Pool, and when I panned right of the Avocet, 6 Common Sandpiper were also lined up along the back of the pool.
Common Tern.
Mainly focused on and distracted by the gull fest, I made no count of adult birds, but noted 15 Common Tern chicks on the raft, which included one young bird exercising it's wings.
Dragonflies.
On Saltcote Pond, a lone Emperor Dragonfly was patrolling, occasionally egg laying around the edge of the pond, also up to 14 Common Blue Damselfly including some pairing.
Butterflies.
Nothing spectacular about these, as I saw just one Red Admiral, but 10 Ringlet lifted the gloom, and takes my sightings of this species to 16 Ringlet seen on two days, with six more seen at Birk Bank on 20 June.
Glasson- Conder Green Circuit.
Reed Bunting, 3 Chiffchaff, Song Thrush, and 6 Sedge Warbler.
And Finally.
Ian Mitchell kindly sent me a couple of images....
This of an Elephant Hawk Moth
And one of a Large Yellow Underwing.
Ian says 'I was playing around trying to photo this moth in flight'....I don't think you need to try much harder Ian.
The Header.
Howard Stockdale does it again, this time with another excellent header image of 42 Avocet, perfectly lined up for a photograph and an accurate count on Conder Pool this week.
I would like to take this opportunity, to thank all those who joined me - and some who later hindered me - in reporting this amazing record of 17 Mediterranean Gulls, which I found on Conder Pool on Wednesday 25 June.
Wow that's a lot of Avocets and Med Gulls. Heartening to see, just a shame there wasn't a chick with each one!
ReplyDeleteNice to see you are finding Ringlet butterflies I have a feeling that they are spreading.
Saltcote Pond is producing I see.
Thanks for the videos and pics, lovely to see the header with so many Avocets especially.
Ian