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Up on the Hill
Adey Baker and I were hoping that the rough weather might have forced a few birds to take shelter on Croft Hill.The small woodland area on the hill can attract migrants and a singing Willow Warbler...
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Gannet at Thornton Reservoir
It was too late to go for the Gannet at Thornton Reservoir when I noticed the bird news on Sunday night. It then appeared to be on its last legs last night, but tonight it was reported to be flying...
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Colour Ringed Caspian Gulls at Shawell
I was over at Shawell last night and thousands of gulls were sheltering in the quarry from the strong wind that had built up. The viewing conditions are very good at present and I have read 53 colour...
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Croft Hill and Shawell
I started off this morning with a walk on Croft Hill. I was hoping to find a few migrants. The light was poor, but a few birds were moving about. A pipit flew out of the trees landing briefly n the...
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Colour Ring reading Extravaganza
A slight repeat of my last post but I am pleased with these latest images. Last week saw unprecedented numbers of Lesser Black-backed Gulls in the Shawell area. At least 5000 were present many of which...
View ArticleJuvenile Caspian Gull at Shawell Sand Quarry
I'm sure this is beginning to look like its easy, but I'm really pleased that I can spot these beasts amongst the thousands of gull amassing at the site at present. These and other sightings of...
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Good Times at Shawell
I'm sure it looks very simple, but getting good enough views of the gulls to read colour-rings can be quite a challenge. At the moment 'it's fill your boots time' because the gulls are loafing about in...
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American Wigeon Plus a Tricky Stint
I missed out on seeing the American Wigeon at Cossington Meadows on my first visit, as it did a bunk for the full day. Luckily it was still there when I returned at the weekend. I had to drop off...
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Weekly Report From Shawell
The number of Lesser Black-backed Gulls present at Shawell has fallen from the record breaking highs of earlier in the month. About 1200 were still present. Most of the intermedius LBBGs appear to have...
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First-winter Caspian Gull at Shawell
I popped over to Shawell A5 Lagoons after work and there was a good gathering of gulls there. A new 'wave' of gulls arrived from the lagoons at the same time as something upset the ones already there....
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First-Winter Caspian Gull Still in Residence at Shawell
The first-winter Caspian Gull I first saw on September 28th was still in the Shawell area yesterday.First-Winter Caspian Gull - note that a few lesser and median coverts have already been replaced and...
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Another First-Winter Caspian Gull
On my way back from Northampton yesterday I called in at Shawell A5 Lagoons and there was plenty of gulls there. Amongst them was a Caspian Gull in first-winter plumage or probably more accurately in...
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Siberian Accentor
What an amazing autumn we are having! Best ever?Last Friday I ventured out from the safety of my hedge at Shawell and tried to twitch the Eastern Crowned Warbler at Bempton Cliffs. This didn't go well...
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Back to Normal
After the excitement of the Siberian Accentor, my only avian adventure this week was half-an-hour at Shawell on Wednesday lunchtime.Several thousand gulls were at the A5 Lagoons and more 'waves' were...
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1000 and Counting
For a bit of fun back in January 2015 Steve Lister presented me with a UK 400 type certificate for successfully reading colour rings on 500 gulls at Shawell. He also challenged me to push on and record...
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More Caspian Gull sightings From Shawell
I called in at Shawell A5 Lagoons briefly today for my usual Wednesday lunchtime gull fix. On arrival the gull numbers were quite low, but they soon started to arrive on mass. I couldn't believe that...
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Shawell A5 Lagoons, November 5th 2016
It felt like winter yesterday at Shawell. There is no shelter from the wind if its coming from the north, so I just had to put up with it. I'd had enough by half two in the afternoon, but I'd had some...
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And More Caspian Gulls
I was out working near Shawell this afternoon and noticed the gulls were again using the flattened area on the Gibbett Lane side of Shawell Sand Quarry. It would have been rude not to have had a look...
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A Bit of Winter Sunshine
I was back down in Portugal last week enjoying some warm winter sunshine. It was around 21 degrees C everyday and the air was really clear.One of the highlights is always first light on the steppe or...
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First-winter Lesser Black-backed and Yellow-legged Gulls in Flight
As I mentioned in my previous post, one of my targets for our trip to The Algarve was flight shots of first-calendar year gulls. This subject is covered quiet poorly in identification guides. Typically...
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