Just a quick one. Yesterday whilst stood at one of the Bridge Marsh gateways, three Water Pipits dropped in not too far away. Was just a pity the light was so awful...
Although a crap photo, just look how white the underparts are which is typical for Water Pipit |
There's just about two in this photo |
I'm afraid I've got a bit more about Scandinavian Herring Gulls now. Many thanks to my mate Brett who sent me this link to a very interesting paper on argentatus, it explains well why they are so rare down here - cheers Brett! Well worth a read if you are that way inclined; http://www.kensor.net/Papers/scand1.html
I've had a bit of a different morning today, I fancied a change of scenery. All will be revealed in my next post...
Good Gull paper thanks for sharing that - fascinating see no movement west in N England in study period. Wish I had looked harder at the gulls on the Bedfordshire pits back in the 1980's now! Glauc and Iceland were about as good as it got then.
ReplyDeleteHi Mike - glad you liked it, certainly a fascinating read. Take a look at Brett's blog he photographed a 1w argentatus today at Radipole, really striking thing.
ReplyDeleteHi Steve, nice argentatus - well done. Coincidentally just spent Wed pm looking at hundreds of the things on a pit in Leics. Generally quite distinct from our argenteus - some really big brutes also - and can't believe we're overlooking them down here. From talking to Martin E it seems they are much the commonest HG in the E Midlands (much less so on E Coast?)and their presence (and presumably Caspians) largely due to landfills. Shame we don't really don't have any these days.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments Tim, and yes I agree we aren't over looking these adults. But seeing as most the Casps, Herrings and White-wingers we get are 1w - I bet we are over looking a fair few younger argentatus...
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