Back from the Balearics

We've just got back from a week's holiday in Majorca - a full write-up will follow shortly, but in the interim, a picture of a very photogenic Audouin's Gull as a taster (a bit different from gulls at Cotham!Landfill...):

Audouin's Gull at Es Trenc beach, Majorca

Cotham Caspo's and patch ticks

I took yesterday afternoon off work to go gulling at Cotham Landfill again. No sign of any Glaucous Gulls, and actually the number of large gulls was noticeably down on last week (although there were more BHG's). However, there was at least one (and possibly two) 1st winter Caspian Gulls. Both were seen too briefly to get any photos, but I did get a good look at them both in flight - the second bird actually flew right overhead which was fantastic - displaying their white underwings, neat black tail band and white base/rump and subtle window on the inner primaries. 

Today, a quick look at Collingham Pits added a couple of patch yearticks; Oystercatcher, the first Ringed Plover of the spring, and a Grey Wagtail. The Whooper Swan was still in amongst 52 Mute Swans in the field west of Ferry Lane Lake. 

Whooper Swan with Mutes

Bullfinch

Ringed Plover on the Silt Lagoon

Pics from Notts in 2011

I was looking through some pictures tonight, and came across a few notable birds I found/saw in Notts in 2011.

One of four Temminck's Stints at Collingham Pits on 7th May 2011:

2 juv Pectoral Sandpipers found by Carl Cornish at Collingham Pits on 9th September 2011:

 The Attenborough Squacco Heron, photographed on 30th October 2011:

One of eight Tundra Bean Geese I found at Grassthorpe Holme on 13th November 2011:

A juv Great Northern Diver I found at Girton Pits on 26th November 2011:

January Patchwork Challenge results

Well, the standings in the Midlands Mini League of the Patchwork Challenge have just been published; and I'm amazed to see that my score of 76 species (and 78 points) puts me in first place! Very pleasing, but I'm sure it wont last...

And completely unrelated, a nice picture of the moon tonight.

Feb's WeBS

It was a bit damp and blowy out today, but I managed a good WeBS count at Girton Pits. Most notable was a very high count of 1608 Wigeon, the majority of which were on the Sailing Lake, and among which was a single drake Pintail.

From the fishermen's carpark, I spied some swans on Smithy Marsh which looked interesting - and indeed they were: 6 Bewick's Swans. I travelled round to Besthorpe NWT (North) to get a closer look - and to get them on my Patchwork Challenge list! A female Merlin sat in a nearby field was a nice bonus.

Bewick's Swans on Smithy Marsh

More Glauc'ing

I met Carl whilst having a quick look at Cotham Landfill before hockey this morning. There were plenty of gulls around, and we soon located a juvenile Glaucous Gull; first fairly distant, but then on a bank much closer. Having scrutinised this bird in the field and in the pictures below, I'm beginning to think I may've been overly optimistic in thinking there were two juv Glaucs present yesterday; the head pattern seems to change depending on the angle of head/light, at times looking quite 'browey', i.e. Glauc 2 from yesterday, and at others looking more like Glauc 1 - although the 'saddle' across the forehead I could see in the field and on the photos of Glauc 1 yesterday wasn't in evidence. The body of today's Glauc certainly looks like that of Glauc 2, but Glauc 1 yesterday did look like a big bird... I think I need to see two together!

Juv Glaucous Gull at Cotham Landfill

I also had another brief sighting of yesterday's hybrid gull, but couldn't pick it up again. Still no Iceland Gull! But an adult at Rutland Water today may be the bird that's been at Hoveringham recently?

Friday gulls

I always come away from a session looking at gulls at Cotham feeling more confused that when I started - it never ceases to amaze me just how variable the same species can be. Anyway, starting with the easy gulls first, I had good views of what were apparently two different juvenile Glaucous Gulls - both different from the juv Glauc that I've been seeing this year so far; this brings the total number of different Glaucs I've seen at the site this winter to five (4 juvs, one adult), four of which have been present in 2013. One of today's Glaucs was large (GBBG size) and fairly dark, the other appeared a bit paler and smaller - but this may have been due to light and distance. 

Juv Glauc 1

Juv Glauc 1

Juv Glauc 2?

Juv Glauc 2?

More tricky was what appeared to be a hybrid gull - check out the primaries in the pics below (much paler than usual -  greyish brown, with pale tips). This bird was the size of an average Herring Gull; the wings looked quite long and the bill rather small with a paler, slightly pinkish base. Unfortunately I didn't see its wings or tail in flight.

Presumed hybrid gull

I also had brief views of a 1st W Caspian Gull, which looked a lot like the bird I photo'd last time, plus at least one 1st W Yellow-legged Gull (a couple of other candidates remained unconfirmed). Also three different Lesser Black-backed Gulls were also present, along with a couple of heavily hooded sub-adult Herring Gulls - the two strongest marked birds shown below. 

Strongly hooded Herring Gulls

No sign of the adult Iceland Gull which John Hopper has had in the roost at Hoveringham recently (including on wednesday night), nor of the adult Glauc which John had in the roost last night.