A largely dry day with just a lunchtime shower. A freshening NE wind
South shore (AH, KE, MD, JH)
I walked along the wall at low water (MD). There were just a few Black-Headed gulls feeding on the outflows. When I reached the harbour, the likely reason presented itself. The bucket dredger was operating very near the intakes for the outflows almost certainly discouraging any shoals of Whitebait. When I got back to No.2 outflow there were still only a handful of feeding gulls, but I saw Alison and Kevin arriving so waited. Good decision! Almost out of nowhere appeared.
Little Gull 2 - 1 first calendar year and what looked to be a second calendar year. This is the second calendar year/adult. It looked to have some black in its primaries, but in fact they were, at least partially, just missing feathers.
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| Little gull in autumn moult. Its underwings not as strikingly dark as a typical adult. |
The Little gulls left as abruptly as they arrived, but then the juvenile Arctic Tern arrived.
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| Kevin's shot of the juvenile Arctic Tern |
By this time the tide had risen somewhat, there would have been a greater depth of water at the intakes, so perhaps more fish. Even so there were still a lot fewer other gulls than of late.
In the afternoon Josh Hedley checked the outflows and saw both the Little gulls and the juvenile Arctic Tern
Also this morning:
Wigeon 130 in the channels beside the outflows.
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| Little gull in the foreground with some of the Wigeon in the channel beyond. |
Bar-Tailed Godwit 5 feeding on the beach between No.1 outflow and the wooden jetty.
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| Kevin's shot of one of the Godwits |
No pipits were seen, heard or reported today
Also from Josh this afternoon:
Shelduck 108
Chiffchaff 1 along the dog walk track
