Monday 16 January 2017

Beddington Farmlands etc, 16th January 2017

The rain banished me to the hide at Beddington where, with the landfill working, I spent the morning alone, inevitably looking through the gulls. Thousands of other gulls would have been out of view on the other side of the landfill site so I must have only looked through a small portion of the birds on site but, despite the lack of white-wingers, I managed to pick out four Caspian Gulls, two each of first-winter and second-winter plumage.

One of the first-winters was bearing a yellow ring, 'X319'; this bird originates from a colony in Germany which is mainly cachinnans (per Rich Bonser) but I wouldn't be surprised if this bird had a touch of impurity to it, as perhaps was the case in one of the second-winters. The Black Swan was still trying to find a peaceful corner of the main lake and singles of Cetti's Warbler and Water Rail were vocal.

first-winter Caspian Gull
first-winter Caspian Gull (bearing yellow German ring 'X319')
second-winter Caspian Gull
second-winter Caspian Gull

A visit to Sutton later on provided a Peregrine and a Coal Tit was singing in the garden at home.