Monday 27 April 2015

Avocet at sunset


A nice addition to my PBC year list which is chugging along nicely with a fairly healthy total of 149 as of writing. This Avocet was present yesterday evening at Maxey GP, but had vanished this morning. Obviously just passing through.

Sunday 12 April 2015

Mediterranean Gull at Ferry Meadows CP


This first-winter, moulting into first-summer Mediterranean Gull has been hanging around the duck feeding platform at Ferry Meadows CP in Peterborough for the past couple of weeks. It doesn't really seem to do a lot, just bobs around on the water, but the other day I managed to get a few shots of it in flight, which show the distinctive wing pattern and also the the partially moulted and re-grown tail feathers marking out its' age.

This species of gull has three age groups ; juvenile, first-winter/summer, second-winter/summer and third-winter/adult. The bird above is aged by its' partial hood on the head, slightly paler upper wing, moulting of its' tail feathers (shown in photos below)and the scaly appearance of the median coverts. A bird that is slightly bigger than a Black-headed Gull with a heavier bill and darker legs.

Note the the difference in the tail feathers






Friday 10 April 2015

Little Gull at Ferry Meadows CP



A couple of ropey efforts of a bird that was present on Gunwade lake at Ferry Meadows CP today. One was reported this morning, but at lunchtime there was no sign of it, but after I had finished work I paid a visit (along with half of Peterborough it seemed!) to the park and there on Gunwade was this lovely little gull patrolling the waters with occasional forays onto the surface of the water to pick off flies. It flew towards the other main lake on the site, but despite a thorough search, it could not be relocated. Was it the same bird as earlier, or another one just passing through?