1st W Caspian just off the slipway at lunchtime today and disappeared with the majority of the large gulls 12:40 ish although it may have been slightly earlier as I'd walked round the lodge a little and was talking to Peter so lost track of the exact time it left.
No sign of the 1st w Caspian this afternoon (it was there earlier according to the original finder),however there is a very white headed 1st winter gull there which is probably a Caspian x Herring hybrid..the scapular pattern doesnt match either species,one to be aware of when looking for the Caspian.
Out of interest, this bird is the same individual as was present at Redgate Recycling on 23rd November. Note the distinctive notch in the outer tertial of the right wing, amongst a few other things.
Caspian Gull was present before flying off South West at approximately 3pm along with the majority of the large gulls.
Best views I've had of one in the Uk. Was a good opportunity to compare features alongside the majority of the juvenile Herring and Lesser black-backed gulls that were present.
-- Edited by Martin Loftus on Thursday 12th of December 2024 08:02:22 PM
Thanks to Dennis for putting me onto the Caspian gull yesterday. I'd worried I'd missed it as a group of large gulls were up and off as I was walking down to the lake. It was a mixture of herring gulls and lesser black-backs and one yellow-legged gull. It was a subadult but I couldn't try and age it properly as it was largely in silhouette but the round head and big blob of an end to its bill jumped out from the crowd.
1st Winter Caspian gull showing well on the grass verge close to the main pond car park. Spotted just I was about to leave after this mornings visit, in with the black headed gulls and Canada geese and was still present at 10:45am.
22 Lapwing, 5 Redwing and a Raven over this morning, plus 21 Shoveler on the main lake and large mixed tit flocks around the fringes of the main lake which, included several Treecreeper, Goldcrests and Nuthatch.
Great White Egret low over main lake early this morning, again at 10am towards Darcy Lever Gravel pits, then again over Church Street Little Lever heading towards Irwell/Nob End SSSI shortly afterwards.
Thank you, Keith.
-- Edited by Keith Rowland on Wednesday 27th of September 2023 06:48:31 PM
A second year male Mute Swan that we ringed at Moses Gate on 24/2/2020 has just been caught at Abbotsbury, Dorset, a distance of 323km. This is the longest movement we have had since we started ringing swans in GM in the 1980s.
Little Egret on the River Irwell at the Croal-Irwell confluence at 11 30a.m. then flew down the River toward Stoneclough. Could have been the same bird I saw on the Irwell at Clifton.C.P in June, but forgot to put it on the forum.
At the Croal-Irwell confluence. 7 Goosander, 2 Common Buzzard, Peregrine Falcon on the Mill chimney, 4 Stock Dove, 6 Grey Wagtail Dipper, 3 Kingfisher, 11 Chiffchaff, Blackcap and a Nuthatch.
I wanted my mother to get out for a little while, as (like many of us) she had been struggling in the lockdown in order to stay safe.
I went up ahead to see if the iceland gull was still there (which didn't take long) and called her up. The lighting was unfortunately too strong for most of the time, (being at a difficult angle) but we managed some great views.
Juvenile Iceland Gull still showing very well here today, also 14 Shoveler and the fire service doing a sterling job of rescuing an adult Mute Swan that was trapped in the ice.
Spent a good hour searching for the Iceland Gull to no avail but seeing as there was 500+ Gulls on the main lake it was the proverbial 'needle in haystack' plus a blinding low sun adding to it. Another birder I bumped into was similarly unsuccessful.
2 Buzzards were circling quite low over trees just beyond the main lake.
A nice male Goosander was seen on the edge of the weir, whilst a short walk down the Irwell produced 2 Dippers.
Plus countless Mallard, Canada Goose, Coot, various Gulll, and Feral pigeon
I don't know if the Iceland Gull is still present. Not a bird I've ever seen before. There was over 200 gulls stood on the ice in the middle of the main lodge so it could have been amongst them.
Thanks
Bryan
-- Edited by Bryan Deighton on Sunday 31st of January 2021 03:32:44 PM
Also sneaked a peak of the Iceland Gull juv this afternoon, very glad it stuck around as its a first for me. I've tried before to see the roosting birds at Audenshaw, but failed miserably due to the distance. Here is a great opportunity to see one from relatively close up!
It stayed around 45 mins before stealing a slice of bread off a swan then flying off
Was quite difficult to spot initially due to the shear amount of large juvenile gulls all constantly moving around, mixed with at least 500plus black headed gulls. I've never seen the place so busy with bird life!
Uncountable number of different gulls, lots of mallards, coots, and moorhens. Some tufted ducks. Arriving at the lakes here was incredible. I've never seen so many swans in one place and there were tons of other birds on the main lake. Quite the sight! My first time seeing Shoveler. Was very exciting :)
-- Edited by Kev Jin on Tuesday 12th of January 2021 06:52:28 PM