Yellow-legged Gulls

Dungeness - 0900hrs - muggy, wet, light airs - The post breeding dispersal of juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls started slightly earlier than normal yesterday at the Patch. Today, there was at least nine birds around the boil and on the beach, plus a scattering of Kittiwakes, Med Gulls, Common and Sandwich Terns amongst the massed ranks of Black-headed, Herring and Black-backed Gulls.

                                Juvenile Yellow-legged Gull

  On the power station structure three well-grown juvenile Peregrines could be seen beside an  attendant adult.
  On Burrowes plenty of eclipse ducks, Lapwings, Little Ringed and Ringed Plovers, several migrant  Sand Martins, Common Terns, a few Swifts and two Cuckoos. More of the same on ARC, plus two Garganeys from Screen hide.

                                Pyramidal Orchids, Lade

  An hour at the fishing boats this afternoon delivered a steady flow of Sandwich Terns carrying fish westwards, presumably to the ternary at Rye Harbour. A few Gannets passed by further out plus singles of Kittiwake, Curlew and Fulmar, while it was good to hear both Skylark and Mipit in song on the beach.
  A check of Lade revealed more eclipse wildfowl, grebes and fishing Common Terns, plus a patch of Pyramidal Orchids along the old railway track. As we were leaving a Spotted Redshank flew in from the bay, circled over south lake calling, before disappearing towards the bird reserve.