A Good Gull Day

I am sure being with/married to a birder is not an easy thing at the best of times, but it can get treacherous on particular occasions that's for sure...

There are four birding events that make my wife shudder to the core - and I don't blame her.  If I'm not birding when any of these four things are taking place, then I am not a nice person to be with. And that's not something I have any control over. Shocking but true. The four 'birding events' being; 

A patch first/lifer

A good fall day (spring or autumn)

A good sea watching day

A good gull day

What I don't think the non-birder truly understands is that to create three of the above four events everything has to be exactly right - like a complex jigsaw puzzle that fits together probably only for a single day, and then possibly not again for months/years. The weather needs to be right, the time of year needs to be right, and the birds need to be there - but sometimes even when those three do marry up it still doesn't happen, so when it does happen it is not to be missed.  If it is being missed then I simply don't want to be wherever I am at that time, I want to be birding.

And why have I written all of the above? Well today one of my four 'birding events' happened... Gulls!  Mid March, a strong south west wind with plenty of rain and 100% cloud cover - all absolute classic conditions for big numbers of Gulls on the Axe.  Miraculously once I'd seen the forecast last night, our plans for a 'lovely Saturday out' suddenly changed to us enjoying more of a 'stay at home' day.... funny that :-)

My first look along the Estuary mid-morning showed about 210 Common Gulls, two Med Gulls (second-summers) and best of all this lovely second-summer Yellow-legged Gull...

Don't be put off by the dull yellow legs - completely usual for a YLG of this age. Note the lovely bright bill, red orbital ring, square back of the head and the vast amount of grey in the wing - it's well advanced.

A direct comparison with a similarly aged Herring Gull - note the difference in bill colour!

With two adult graellsii Lesser Black-backed Gulls

Note the complete black tail band - a good feature for a second-summer Yellow-legged, other species usually show a weak or broken tail band by this age

A fluky flight shot - all perfect for a second-summer YLG

Last one I promise! With two Herring Gulls

The Yellow-legged Gull remained on the Estuary all day, as I saw it during both the afternoon Estuary scans.  Mid afternoon there wasn't much else to add, but a look along the Estuary from 17:30 showed a massive increase in smaller gull numbers - now six Med Gulls (ad, 4 2s and 1 1w) and an impressive 620 Common Gulls.  The mind boggles at how many of these have probably passed through the patch today!

All but about 11 of these birds are Common Gull!

So many Common Gull - but sadly no Ring-billeds (that I found anyway!)

Adult and second-summer Med Gull

Another second-summer Med Gull

And just to finish this post, so I can reclaim some brownie points by doing the dishes, I saw my first Sand Martins of the year today. Three were feeding over Lower Bruckland Ponds mid afternoon.

Right, must dash...

Swifts Arrive Enmasse

Work has been getting in the way this week, hence why I've not done a post since Tuesday. Don't worry it's not because I'm becoming lazy, or because I've been changing nappies (one week to go!).

I'll start this post with today, and today has been a Swift day. Even whilst at work it's been great watching flock of Swifts flying east over Seaton, proper real migration in action and I absolutely love it.  These weren't my first Swifts of the year though as I had three over Axe Cliff yesterday morning, and a couple more over Seaton later in the day.

With the wind nudging a little more southerly, and with a few Pom Skuas being seen off the south coast today, I went down the beach tonight and had a sea watch 18:45 - 19:50 and noted;

1 Great Northern Diver (west)

47 Manx Shearwater 

1 Arctic Skua (a gorgeous and delicate pale-phased adult close east at 18:55)

12 Whimbrel

12 Ringed Plover (in off)

There were also numerous flocks of Swallows and House Martins arriving in off, along with several more Swifts.

A quick whizz along the Estuary showed two Bar-tailed Godwits (all five were still with us up until yesterday), plenty of Whimbrel and a first-summer Grey Plover.  This week there have been more small gulls about, on Wednesday evening I counted 37 Common Gulls (two adults the rest first-summers).  

The most frustrated I've felt this week was Wednesday morning. I had work at 9am, got up early, walked the dog, but before returning home spent a few minutes looking over the sea. In that time a tight flock of seven Sanderling flew east along the beach, three Whimbrel flew west, eight Sandwich Terns flew into the bay and began fishing and a Wheatear and a flock of Swallows flew in off. Oh how I wish I had arrived here earlier, or had more time to stay. There was clearly lots of passage going on.

And to finish the post, and to ensure it's not a photo-less one, I was pleased to see three Hare at Axe Cliff on Thursday, a leveret and these two adults...

Excellent Gull Passage

What an exciting few days. February is a great month for gull passage and the last few days have not disappointed. Today I had quite a bit of free time and could barely tear myself away from the Estuary.  It was nice to spend time gulling with Gav too, just like the old days!  What was telling was that he wasn't even working in the area today...

Iceland Gull was the rarest of the days birds, found by Ian Mc at about 08:55 down by the tram sheds. It was a first-winter/juv, so not last weeks bird and probably my third different Iceland Gull in as many weeks!  I would have been able to post a nice photo of it here but for the bait digger who decided to flush the lot just after my arrival, so this is my only pic of it...

The middle bird. Yes I know it looks to have dark in the wing tips but that's just shadows

Next best bird was this second-winter Yellow-legged Gull.  I first saw it mid morning but sat with a bunch of Lesser Black-backed Gulls in the rain it looked short legged and rather unimpressive in overall structure, so I put it down as a probable hybrid-type. But Gav picked it up again later and we both watched it for much longer and in better light, and he soon managed to change my mind. Yes it was not long legged at all, and didn't have a strong bill, but everything else was absolutely perfect for second-winter Yellow-legged Gull. It was such a smart and clean bird, really pristine looking, hybrids always seem to look 'messy'. So a small female Yellow-legged Gull it is, but do drop me a line if you (Tim/Mike/Matt?) don't agree...

For me though today was all about the Lesser Black-backed Gulls.  There were 75 along the Estuary mid afternoon, but with birds coming and going all day, and no fewer than 40 birds on the river at any one time, who knows how many really passed through? As always with Lesser Black-backed Gulls at this time of year they came in a variety of mantle shades...

One of them was colour-ringed though, and it looks like 'V6VU' was ringed in Denmark. I will let you all know when I hear back about its ringing details, as this would be a confirmed intermedius if it originates from here. I do wonder whether all these spring passage Lesser Black-backs are intermedius though - even the slightly less black mantled birds!?

I only saw two adult Med Gulls today, but at least one of them was different from the five of yesterday. The five yesterday included a green-ringed second-winter, which was another new bird for me.  The last few weeks have seen a steady turn over of Med Gulls, I've seen at least 20 different individuals on the Axe this month, only two second-winters and one first-winter though.

Also yesterday the Lesser Black-backed count got to 44, and there were 135 Common Gulls which is more proof of gull passage.

Right let's leave the gulls for now, and I'll try and tidy up all my other patch birding sightings for the last few days. I'll start with the sea, and that's where I started today (as usual!). In 45 minutes I had eight Red-throated Divers and three Common Scoters west, along with a lovely pod of Bottlenose Dolphins.  There were at least six animals, including three calves that were jumping around all over the place, but they always remained distant and quickly headed off west.

Yesterday the sea gave twelve Red-throated Divers, but little else.  And on Monday I gave it an hour despite how quiet it was, and was rewarded with a fine drake Pintail close west with a Wigeon. Also two Red-throated Divers and a Razorbill.  I just WISH I stayed on an extra ten minutes or so though, as Ian Mc from another spot had a Velvet Scoter fly west shortly after I packed away my telescope. So gripping!!  I've given the sea so much time and effort this year hoping for something like this, and each watch one or two Scoters go by, but for me so far none of them have had white secondaries.  I suppose something like this was always going to happen though, I can't watch the sea all the time!

The Brent Goose is still knocking around with the Canada Goose flock in the valley, but another bad miss was a Goosander seen by others flying down and then upriver at dusk on Monday. Bums.

Dark-bellied Brent Goose

On the western boundary of our patch there's still Golden Plovers about, had 16 last Wednesday and 47 on Sunday morning. Also saw 50+ Snipe today in a field near Hangman's Stone (the Beer turn off on the A3052) which was a bit of a surprise.  

It's been nice to finally see some more Siskin about, I had 15 alongside the River Coly just north of Chantry Bridge last Saturday, and another couple over Lower Bruckland Ponds (yeah on my PWC patch finally!).

And last but by no means least, Chiffchaffs. Both Colyford and Branscombe sewage works are still home to plenty of Chiffchaffs, with many of them singing in recent days too which is nice.  The ringed tristis is still at Colyford WTW and there were at least two grey birds at Branscombe too.

Even wetter and windier tomorrow, can't wait to see what the Estuary has to offer us...

Two More Yellow-legged Gulls

Had another lovely juv Yellow-legged Gull on the Estuary yesterday, along with my first juv Lesser Black-backed of the summer and a juv Med Gull.  Sadly, just like my first, it remained distant...

Just right of centre, compare with the juv Herring Gull in the bottom left of the photo - it was a hefty thing.

I had another one this afternoon as well, offshore amongst c200 large gulls following one of the boats from Beer.  Don't get me wrong I am glad I've seen three, but I really wouldn't mind a close one soon!!

Later on along the Estuary I saw my first Common Gull of the summer, an adult, and a juv Water Rail which nicely confirms successful breeding here yet again.  Also heard there was a Sanderling on Black Hole Marsh, but I didn't get round to seeing it.

Mostly Quiet But Some Quality

Unlike the last couple of days I've not had much time out birding today. I spent an hour and half walking the dog around Axmouth this morning (hoping for Hoopoe, still...), all was very quiet and I didn't see many migrants at all. Well that was except for a five minute period at the top of Stepp's Lane when I got to where the path goes out to the golf course.  Five Wheatear were huddled together in a tight flock in the middle of a large field here, and in with them my first Whinchat of the year...

Wheatear left, and a Whinchat head to the right

And whilst watching these, I had a couple of brief views of a Ring Ouzel being chased up and down the track to the golf course by the resident Blackbirds. When I got round to the track it flipped over the hedge and into the field that I was just stood in, I went back but I didn't see it again.  I think it probably flew across the field and into the trees/hedge on the other side, it looked to me like it had only just dropped in and wasn't at all settled. Still it was great to see nevertheless, they're not a regular spring migrant here and sometimes we even have blank autumns for them.

The other half an hour of birding came this evening, and was prompted by a call from James Mc who could see a passage of gulls and terns passing distantly off Charmouth.  I got down to Seaton Beach at about twenty to eight, and although I didn't see any terns, I must have seen over 50 Common Gulls (mostly first-summers) flying east by 20:10.  In with them were three Med Gulls (an adult and two first-summers) and best of all three Bar-tailed Godwits (two in summer plumage).

Flagged Godwit

Before I elaborate on the subject in the post title, I should mention the birding that I've done over the past few days.

Tuesday I had a good look around in the valley, and it was worthwhile. Colyford Common was most productive, as on the main scrape on Colyford Marsh were three Green and eight Common Sandpipers. The adult Green Sands at this time of year look so much smarter than the juvs we see later in the autumn. A look along the Estuary produced 214 Black-headed Gulls (3 juvs), one Med Gull (1st-summer) and my first 'independent' juv Herring Gull of the year...

Not a Yellow-legged!

On Tuesday night whilst at work, a Green Sandpiper flew south over the back yard calling at 22:30. Wader migration in action - love it!

Wednesday a quick look along the Estuary revealed two Blackwits - both in fine summer plumage. Also 13 juvenile Herring Gulls - I've never see this many before seeing a juv Yellow-legged!

Today, and I've just popped down to Colyford Common - only two Common Sandpipers on the scrape but amongst a good number of Black-headed Gulls an adult Common Gull. Also 22 Little Egrets loafing around, only two juvs though.

So, now the flagged Blackwit. This bird was on the Axe Estuary from the 5th - 24th April this year...

Makes a change not seeing an Axe Estuary colour-ringed Godwit!

Well I have finally found out about this bird. It was ringed as a nestling on 13/6/10 in Southern Iceland. It was next sighted on the Tagus Estuary in Portugal on 24/11/10 and remained here until 25/2/11. But that's it - no more sightings until it was on the Axe in spring 2012. Great stuff.