Pages

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Back amongst the gulls. Oxenhope, members only.

 Herring coming in to land
 Yellow Legged Herring on the right.
                                      Same adult YL as yesterday probably
                                     Lapwings moving up the shoreline
                                              4 Oystercatcher in the distant sw corner
                               2 sleeping Snipe in the background
                                       Herring gull


                            Another Herring in to land
           More BH gulls arriving
                                        Crammed shoreline

Oxenhope reservoir  1545-1715 hrs  W>5 Light drizzle clearing. Grey skies . Visibility Otley Chevin.

Amazing how Black Headed gulls have just returned this week with a count of 6 last weekend and around 400 today as I left and still piling in.
As more shoreline appears more birds come and fill it with gulls cramped together in one area.
With gulls and waders all along the shoreline and in the pools its resembles being out on an estuary.
The Yellow Legged Herring gull was again present but a careful scope through the rest of the gulls failed to turn up any other exoticas .

c245 Black Headed gulls doubling in numbers by the time I left, at least 400
c 300 LBB gulls
14 Herring gulls
1 YL Herring gull
2 Common gull
3 Redshank
1 Little Ringed Plover
2 Snipe
4 Oystercatchers
3 Common Sandpiper
c 100 Lapwing
1 Curlew
Plenty Swallows and Swifts
2 Kestrels
+ usual Mallard, Greylag, Canada, Mipits etc.
BS