Yellow-legged Gulls

Lade - warm, cloudy, rain earlier, w 5 - Another very windy day across the peninsula, with some hefty showers early on and sunshine by the afternoon. South lake was covered in hundreds of Sand Martins this morning along with a few House Martins and Swifts. On the water the first post moulting Shelduck of autumn, plus Pochard up to 42 in number and five Little Egrets and two Common Sandpipers around the margins of north lake. The first Willow Warblers of the season were noted by the ponds.

                               Adult and juvenile Little Tern, Burrowes


  On ARC mid-morning: Wood Sandpiper, 5 Ruffs, Dunlins and Common Sandpipers, two Garganey, two Little Gulls and a male Sparrowhawk over the hide carrying prey. Plenty more hirundines over the lake. From Firth hide late afternoon, two Little Terns and five Dunlins were amongst the Common Terns in front of Firth hide, while a Red Crested Pochard was on Dengemarsh.
  An hour at the fishing boats delivered very little apart from three juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls and a Grey Seal.
 

                                Juvenile Yellow-legged Gull, fishing boats