Huge male fourth-winter Caspian Gull present for just over an hour and a half until it flew off down river at 11:40 2 adult Yellow-legged Gulls (one in absolutely pristine breeding plumage already!) Water Rail Willow Tit in the bushes along the bank Kingfisher over the river
Overhead:
plenty of Fieldfare, Redwing, Skylark and Woodpigeon but also at least one Brambling and 2 Siskin
A few hours this morning in variable light produced 4 Yellow-legged Gulls - an adult, a 4th calendar year and 2 1st winters. Another adult michahellis type individual had perfect colouration on the mantle and wings and good primary patterning but bright pink legs. There was also a small Lesser Black-backed Gull with pink legs and an adult argenteus Herring Gull with yellow legs. It's always entertaining here.
Generally, Lesser Black-backed Gulls outnumbered Herring Gulls by a ratio of about 4:1. There was also a scattering of Great Black-backed and Black-headed Gulls and as usual very few Common Gulls with just 2 first winters seen. Finally there was a single early returning adult argentatus Herring Gull.
I'd thought I'd pay this area for a visit to see if i could be lucky enough to find anything of interest before heading to Woolston eyes. It turned out to be the most worst case scenario for any bird watcher, I could hear the gulls, but not see them for the fog. It very slowly cleared till the full sun hit so that I had glare to deal with. Still, I managed Shelduck, great and lesser black backed gulls , herring and black headed gulls. The main highlight was watching ringed plovers through fine mist.
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Tuesday 7th of April 2015 05:26:01 PM
__________________
Which bird is ideal for keeping cakes in? I asked. The answer: a Bun-tin.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/135715507@N06
Took a chance and went here in my lunch hour. Conditions were less than ideal, i.e. far too sunny, but, was very pleased to identify, what I was fairly sure was a juvenile Glaucous Gull. I managed a dodgy scoped video of it and, after seeking a second opinion from a certified Larophile, was happy to have it confirmed. Very pleased
Myself and Simon Gough trying out our expert skills today...
1 juvenile Iceland Gull - fantastic bird Thought we had the Leucistic Herring Gull at first but it disappeared in the confusion when the whole group took to the air. We kept a lookout and to be honest we didn't think it was a Herring Gull shape so it was probably the Juvenile Iceland Gull we'd seen briefly. It showed fairly well after a while though.
1 candidate for an adult Yellow-legged Gull but poor light due to brilliant sunshine made it virtually impossible to tell, could've been a Lesser Black-backed in the sun.
Other birds of note... 6 Linnet 7 Goldfinch At least 6 Reed Bunting 2 Bullfinch heard 4 Chiffchaff heard 1 Grey Heron 6 Common Buzzard (4 at once) 2 Kestrel 4 Gadwall Small party of Long-tailed Tit's Lots of Wren, Robin, Blackbird, Carrion Crow
p.s. never try and do a post after a few pints watching United. I worded the original post all wrong!
-- Edited by Rob Creek on Monday 23rd of March 2015 02:38:28 PM
2 Iceland Gulls(a juv. and a 2nd w.) 2nd w. Glaucous Gull 2 Yellow Legged Gulls(ad. and 2nd.w.) and the pure white juv. Herring Gull put in another appearance
2 Juvenile Iceland Gulls 4 Yellow Legged Gulls(3 ads and a 3rd w.)
Plus the oddity of the day found by Pete - a piebald Lesser Black-backed Gull ... intrigued to know what it would have looked like in flight. Also a leucistic Black-headed Gull present.
There were 3 Stonechat together and associating, we wondered therefore if they were immatures from last year, especially as we couldn't see an obvious adult male bird.
A late visit after Leighton Moss with Simon Gough.
Birds of note... Stonechat - 1 pair, little bit scruffy and lack lustre plumage wise probably to be expected, very active (No.77 for the day) Bullfinch - 1 calling whilst flying over main path near the sandbank Song Thrush - 1 in full song, absolutely amazing repertoire and produced some unreal notes Common Buzzard - 1 circling whilst being followed by Carrion Crows Kestrel - 1 hunting just off main path Black-headed Gulls - lots around Herring Gull - a few around Great Black-backed - 2 Quite a few juvenile large Gulls about but difficult to get passed Herring and Lesser Black-backed Oystercatcher Curlew Shelduck No sight nor sound of the 2 Firecrest
Best of all two Firecrests (one certainly a singing male) in the bushes and scrub around the viewing locations for the bank but mobile. A single male bird seen just before midday with two birds finally confirmed a short while after.
Adult Iceland Gull put in a brief appearance before heading off down river.
3 Yellow-legged Gulls
Wholly white immature leucistic Herring Gull
50 (exactly!) Shelduck in one group
Singles of Oystercatcher and Redshank plus two Curlew
A few hours this morning with Jeff and Dave and others produced at least 8 Yellow Legged Gulls (2x 2nd w.,a 3rd w. and at least 5 adults),and a flock of approx. 100 Pink Footed Geese flying over northward.
For the avoidance of doubt regarding the directions it's Tannery Lane. Go to the Ferry Tavern pub (directions on their website) and walk upstream, taking the first right turn off canal side, around the bend in the Mersey.
15:00-17:00 this afternoon many gulls seemed to have left the river, 2nd winter Iceland Gull came in to bathe at 16:00, one first-winter Yellow-Legged Gull 58 Curlew feeding on farmland west of Arpley Tip over high tide Min 315 Jackdaw headed south over Mersey to Arpley Tip/Moore area late afternoon
-- Edited by dave broome on Wednesday 25th of February 2015 09:19:51 PM
-- Edited by dave broome on Wednesday 25th of February 2015 09:21:43 PM
Please may I enquire for anyone who is struggling to find out (like I am) asto ezactly where does one find this Richmond bank? :-\ I can't get anything usefull out of google (which seems about right for the internet these days), only that its somewhere opposite the Cheshire Moore reserve. Many thanks for any help.
Hi Richard it used to be fairly straightforward, If you head for Fiddlers Ferry on the A557 (used to be called Watkinson Way from what I remember delivering near there). Turn onto Fiddlers Ferry Road and then Tanhouse Lane. At the bottom there was a car park on the left and you walked through the gate, over the tracks and canal bridge and turned left with the Mersey on your right. After a 1/4 mile or probably not even that you turn right onto the track that runs through the field and closer to the Mersey. Follow it round to the left and you will see a large sand bank hopefully with lots of Gulls! But beware, the industrial estate roads could've changed as new units are popping up all the time. I've not been for ages so going off memory. Hope this helps. Rob
Please may I enquire for anyone who is struggling to find out (like I am) asto ezactly where does one find this Richmond bank? :-\ I can't get anything usefull out of google (which seems about right for the internet these days), only that its somewhere opposite the Cheshire Moore reserve. Many thanks for any help.
__________________
Which bird is ideal for keeping cakes in? I asked. The answer: a Bun-tin.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/135715507@N06
Four absolutely freezing hours today until the huge tide:
Unfortunately, only three adult Yellow-legged Gulls of note, apart from singles of Curlew and Redshank.
Walking back there was a huge amount of gulls (thousands) on the other (southern) side of the river, resting on the short grassy fields around Moss Side which looked surely to be viewable from Lapwing Lane?
4 hours yesterday with Ian was a bit disapointing,despite there being the biggest number of gulls on The Bank this winter only thing of interest was: 3 adult Yellow Legged Gulls and 160 Pinkfeet s.e. over
7 Yellow-legged Gulls (6 adult, 1 first winter) 184 Great Black-backed Gulls was a very good count for the site Plus a noticeable increase in argentatus Herring Gulls
Of interest an adult Yellow Legged Gull that was present at Richmond Bank about 3 weeks ago was ringed as a pullus on the Mediteranean coast of France near Marseilles,its the first sightings of this bird in 6 years,previous sightings were both at Gloucester landfill site.
Five and a bit hours with Ian. Massive numbers of Lesser Blacks, way out numbering the Herrings.
Caspian Gull - 1st summer in heavy moult. Outer two primaries still growing so wings looked really short. Quality birding from Ian, because I'd never have picked it up. It was around until 9.30 then flew off high west.
Yellow-legged Gull - 6. 3 adults and three juveniles
Gadwall - 21. Mega exciting
Common Sandpiper - 2. Also mega
Redshank - 2. And still mega
No sign of the stringy Rook!
-- Edited by Tom McKinney on Friday 29th of August 2014 09:59:16 PM