I just had a quick look for the Caspian gull this morning, but no sign. There was an adult yellow-legged gull hanging around the spit.
Attached are a few photos of the Caspian gull from yesterday. I'm not sure that they add anything to John's photos, apart from the general feel of a snow storm at the flash!
Yellow Legged Gull - 3 = 2 x 3rd winter ,1 the regular ,the other the advanced bird from 2 weeks ago. 1 Adult which looked like the bird that was at the flash regularly until 2 weeks ago returning.
Kingfisher-2
Water Rail- 3
Goosander - 22
Goldeneye- 21
Cormorant-57
Pictures - 2nd w Iceland Gull
-- Edited by JOHN TYMON on Saturday 9th of December 2017 09:13:35 PM
This morning's sightings included the second winter Iceland Gull sat on the spit, 3 Pintail in the middle of the flash (2 drakes), 7 Wigeon, an adult Mediterranean Gull and most intriguing of all a probable Black-throated Diver flying around briefly early am which never appeared to land and could not be refound despite extensive searching.
A very quiet gull roost tonight, probably less than half the number of gulls that were present last week and a repeat of Sunday evening. The only bird of note which I saw was the regular 3rd winter yellow-legged gull. Also today, 5 wigeon.
The regular 3rd winter yellow-legged gull showed well from Horrock's hide today. A very poor roost followed, the only highlight being the advanced 3rd winter yellow-legged gull which we found on Friday. Thanks to John Tymon for giving me the tip off that the gull was outside Horrock's.
Here's a shot of a first winter Goldeneye male taken yesterday. It wasn't looking that good and it wasn't until I got home and noticed its eyes. Can anyone tell me what this could be? Many thanks
A 30 minute look at the gull roost from Green Lane this evening in bitter, wet, dull and windy conditions revealed 2 yellow-legged gulls, the long staying adult and a 3rd winter which was new in yesterday evening. Photo is of the new 3rd winter yellow-legged gull (taken yesterday).
-- Edited by colin davies on Saturday 25th of November 2017 05:04:39 PM
Adult Mediterranean Gull off the car park taken today at around 11.00am. Took some shots and someone was asking if it was ringed. In one of the shots it is ringed but not sure what info you can get from this. Please take a look. Many thanks.
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Friday 24th of November 2017 02:09:00 PM
Adult and third winter yellow-legged gulls in the roost this evening. Also 11 wigeon in the centre of the flash for most of the day.
I see a few oddities amongst the gulls when doing the roost, and here's another. Presumably a lesser black-back, but much smaller than usual with a deformity above the bill giving it the look of a fulmar!
The regular 3rd winter yellow-legged gull was in the roost this evening, but I had to abandon half an hour before sunset due to the weather and many birds probably hadn't even come in at that point.
Two yellow-legged gulls in the roost this evening, the usual adult and 3rd winter. No sign of the Iceland gull or any Mediterranean gulls. However the weather was pretty awful and we viewed the roost from Horrock's hide rather than Green Lane so anything at the western end was pretty much out of view.
Fascinating! Thanks Dave, I have a copy of your book. There were a lot of dunlin around at the time, I think there were about 70 at Audenshaw on the same day.
Not a lot happening at the flash today so far today, about 10 goldeneye, 10 goosander, 60 redwing (mainly western end) and a Cetti's warbler singing still in Ramsdales. If the rain keeps off I'll be back for the roost later.
Colin - Regarding your 9th November details about small packs of Dunlin at the flash, there seems to be a clear link between what you witnessed and earlier events. In 'Birds and Birdwatching at Pennington Flash', I described an early November (1984) spectacle as follows:- "Ringing studies have shown that birds of the Northern Scandinavian and North-West Russian race - C.a.alpina - arrive on The Wash in late summer, and after moulting many move to the estuaries of the North-West. Many birds must cross our area in October and November, but this late migration is largely unseen and perhaps of a nocturnal character. Westbound individuals, and rarely small flocks, are seen at Pennington almost annually in November, but the concentrated movement of 1984 has no precedent. During a week-end of continuous rain and a moderate north-westerly wind, several hundreds crossed the flash. In less than four hours on the 4th, the rate was 88 per hour: 303 were counted in 33 flocks, with seven single birds. Next day the rate was seven per hour." I had heard Dunlin calls at night on the 3rd and consider that this event might well have involved more than several hundred birds - all silent, all skimming the water and following an identical course, and rising when thy reached the western end. As far as I'm aware, I was the only saturated witness to this magical happening at Pennington, though others recorded the westerly movement at Audenshaw (some staying there for a while) and the Wigan flashes!
Iceland gull 1 2nd win. Presumably the same bird which was at Atherton today and at the flash two weeks ago.
Yellow-legged gull 2 (adult & 3rd winter)
Mediterranean gull 1 adult
Black-headed gull many 1000s including a leucistic bird (or is it albino, it seems to have a much redder bill than the nearby normal black-heads)
Once again apologies for the quality of the photos, they were taken on my phone in near dark at sunset. I took almost 700 photos of the roost today and these are the best!
-- Edited by colin davies on Monday 20th of November 2017 10:45:38 PM
Yellow Legged Gull - 1 x 3rd Winter and 1 adult pictures below Goosander-28 including one group of 8 Males on thier own without females which was unusual. Kingfisher-2 Sparrowhawk-2 Little Grebe - 1 that shocked me by flying past just after dark . Black Headed Gull - c 6000 in roost Herring Gull- c300 in roost including quite a good number of very dark backed Argentatus ,so if you check the gull roost ,don't just go off the Mantle ,wing colour for YLG ,make sure all other features are correct and get a shot to confirm if you can. Common Gull- c200 in roost Great Black Backed Gull - 6 Willow Tit-4 Great Crested Grebe-28 Goldeneye - 26
:)
-- Edited by JOHN TYMON on Monday 20th of November 2017 06:47:00 AM
Yellow Legged Gull - 2 x 3rd Winter (one our regular the other with a full yellow bill and slightly smaller bird in the roost ) + 1 Adult which arrived about 3.3o to roost. I think its the first time ive seen 3 different yellow legged Gulls in one day at Pennington. Mediterranean Gull - 2 adult in the pre roost Kingfisher-3 Pochard -2 (Male in picture be...low) Little Egret-1 Goosander-26 Goldeneye -24 Grey Wagtail-1 Pink footed Geese - 26 > N plus the usuals
Pictures - Pochard,Adult Yellow Legged Gull ,2nd 3 rd w YLG (distant grab shot) regular yellow legged 3rd w
-- Edited by JOHN TYMON on Sunday 19th of November 2017 07:38:28 AM
Third winter Yellow-legged Gull still sat on its bouy
Little Egret feeding and showing very well from Horrocks Hide and later roosting in trees in Teal Scrape
1 Chiffchaff mobile around Ramsdales
43 Pink-footed Geese west at 13:21
2 noisy Water Rails from Tom Edmonson Hide
A flock of 20 or so Goldfinch by the screen at the back of Teal Scrape contain at least 6 Siskin and 4 Lesser Redpoll, all feeding in Alders; with another 2 Siskin by Bunting Hide
Just for a change, no sign of the adult yellow-legged gull in the roost this evening, but the 3rd winter bird was present (not often seen in the roost). Other than that not much to report except for a leucistic black-headed gull (see photos).
-- Edited by colin davies on Thursday 16th of November 2017 08:07:54 PM
Adult yellow-legged gull and adult Mediterranean gull in the roost this evening, but no sign of the 3rd winter yellow-legged gulll between 2:30 and dusk.
Back in July this year a colour ringed adult Mediterranean Gull was observed by Bill Harrison. Having been also sighted at Woolston Eyes in May this year its visit to the flash on 17th July was followed by its reappearance in Newport, Wales only a week after it had been seen at the flash!
A map of its movements can be seen on the following link here