Decent weather at Fly Flatts this morning with a light SE>3 at 12 degrees and full cloud.
A bonus this morning when my bogey bird turned up in the form of a juv Little Ringed Plover, a very scare visitor to Fly Flatts where I usually manage 1 or sometimes 2 sightings a year. It was,nt long before the long staying male Ringed Plover moved it on, not to be re located.
At least 5 Ringed Plover were present and 6 Common Sandpipers along with the 2 Oystercatchers and juv.
The compound bushes held 2 Stonechat and 2 Willow Warblers with up to 6 Wheatear around the shore, 4 of which were juvs. Once again Swifts were out in force over the water along with a few Swallow but no Martins today.
Mid afternoon and a very wet visit to Ogden to check out the gulls reported by NK yesterday saying numbers of big gulls were increasing . The Black Headed were on the east bank with about 40 including 4 juvs whilst the big gulls were on the west bank but very flighty moving between the water and the shore.
The first few scans revealed 3 Herring gull with a couple of 1CYs along with 38 LBBs, mostly adults. Once the gulls settled again I found NKs gull from yesterday which was the main reason for my visit. It had features of a 3 CY Yellow Legged Herring gull with a darker mantle than the other Herrings present plus it had the butch looking head shape, though the head feathers were ruffled.
It showed remains of winter streaking around the eye but pink legs and no red orbital ring though going by the gull bible this can be normal, even at this age. Still under investigation.
A group of 6 Tufted were on the water, all in eclipse and 2 Oystercatchers were very vocal on the shore as if they had a chick present.
BS