About 30 Redshank, half a dozen Ringed Plover, two or three Black-Tailed Godwits starting to show brick-red chests, a dozen Golden Plover developing summer plumage, being beaten up by some of the dozen or so Lapwing, one female Goldeneye, three or so Shelduck, a few Mallard, a few Shoveller, 50 or more Coot, half a dozen Teal, several hundred Black-headed Gulls, three or more Mediterranean Gulls, two plus Common Gulls, Larus canus, possibly a few Herring Gulls, a couple of Cormorants.
Showing posts with label Black-Headed Gull. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Black-Headed Gull. Show all posts
Sunday, 19 March 2017
Friday, 18 March 2016
Early spring at Cliffe
The Black-headed Gulls are displaying noisily all over the islands, arguing with each other and the jackdaws.
There are still some numbers of wintering ducks, particularly Wigeon, of which there are still hundreds. I wonder where they all go in the summer. There were about a dozen Pintail who were spending much of their time upending, and a few Teal and Mallard in the distance. There were dozens of Pochard, mainly male of course, females having travelled further South. Tufted Duck were widely distributed across all of the pools.
The Goldeneye are the most interesting duck to me, because of their relative rarity and delicate beauty. The males and females seem to be more closely associated with each other now, either in pairs or triads. The first pair I saw were apparently together. The female was almost apparently comatose, with its neck and head extended out forwards to sit flat on the water. This is called the prone-posture, and is sometimes referred to as a form of inciting. It is understood as a prelude to mating, and is generally seen from February onwards on the wintering grounds, both when the birds are first in groups and then as the birds pair up, and then later when the birds are fully and "permanently" paired up on the breeding grounds. This stillness was very striking and long-lasting lasting several minutes (the record is about 30 minutes I believe), and is referred to in BWP in the section on copulation behaviour, although the male in this case was not apparently adding the full range of other typical behaviours, and the sequence of events finished with another female joining the pair, and then the individuals diving individually. The male was moving around in front or almost circling the female, quite close, perhaps within the 60 cm mentioned in BWP, displaying by vigorously throwing its head backwards, although too far away to hear if it was calling as well. NOTE - the male also sometimes goes briefly prone, perhaps as a prelude to attack in antagonistic displays.
The females were too far away to be seen clearly and were recognised by overall shape, grey-brownish tinge, and occasionally the wing-bar. As always the bill is tipped yellow. The Eastman book from North America says that this yellow tip disappears after the breeding season, and re-appears over winter in preparation for the next one.
A couple of dozen Little Grebe, but no Black-necked Grebes as far as I could see. Basically, when I scan the water, if it is at all brownish, then I am eliminating the other Grebes, and this does seem to work.
There are still some numbers of wintering ducks, particularly Wigeon, of which there are still hundreds. I wonder where they all go in the summer. There were about a dozen Pintail who were spending much of their time upending, and a few Teal and Mallard in the distance. There were dozens of Pochard, mainly male of course, females having travelled further South. Tufted Duck were widely distributed across all of the pools.
The Goldeneye are the most interesting duck to me, because of their relative rarity and delicate beauty. The males and females seem to be more closely associated with each other now, either in pairs or triads. The first pair I saw were apparently together. The female was almost apparently comatose, with its neck and head extended out forwards to sit flat on the water. This is called the prone-posture, and is sometimes referred to as a form of inciting. It is understood as a prelude to mating, and is generally seen from February onwards on the wintering grounds, both when the birds are first in groups and then as the birds pair up, and then later when the birds are fully and "permanently" paired up on the breeding grounds. This stillness was very striking and long-lasting lasting several minutes (the record is about 30 minutes I believe), and is referred to in BWP in the section on copulation behaviour, although the male in this case was not apparently adding the full range of other typical behaviours, and the sequence of events finished with another female joining the pair, and then the individuals diving individually. The male was moving around in front or almost circling the female, quite close, perhaps within the 60 cm mentioned in BWP, displaying by vigorously throwing its head backwards, although too far away to hear if it was calling as well. NOTE - the male also sometimes goes briefly prone, perhaps as a prelude to attack in antagonistic displays.
The females were too far away to be seen clearly and were recognised by overall shape, grey-brownish tinge, and occasionally the wing-bar. As always the bill is tipped yellow. The Eastman book from North America says that this yellow tip disappears after the breeding season, and re-appears over winter in preparation for the next one.
A couple of dozen Little Grebe, but no Black-necked Grebes as far as I could see. Basically, when I scan the water, if it is at all brownish, then I am eliminating the other Grebes, and this does seem to work.
Monday, 22 February 2016
Tuesday, 22 December 2015
A blustery Leybourne
A walk around the West side of the Ocean, and then on either arm of the Railway Lake. Most of the same birds as yesterday, with a few different shots.
And a shot in flight of a first winter bird. The two outer tail feathers are the last to moult so maybe haven't developed their black tips properly yet??
There was a beautiful Moorhen just by the bridge:
Monday, 21 December 2015
Leybourne with the camera today
As there was reasonable weather today I took the camera back to Leybourne, and very much enjoyed the birds through the lens.
The Black-headed Gulls, Chroicocephalus ridibundus, took starring roles of course, and here is an adult on one of the buoys by the feeding area, so well camouflaged against the background of the waves.
and another with better developed "headphones".
I tried to get some "in flight" shots, but most were very blurry, and I think the combination of poor light and limited ISO of 2000 meant the shutter speed was just too slow for the movement.
Here is an adult in flight with coverts or perhaps scapulars(?) stalling:
This photo is in because this appears to be an adult plumaged bird but with a rather light orange beak - compare with the other adults above, so perhaps a 2cy December bird. It also shows the white extreme tips to P 4 - 7.
Wednesday, 14 January 2015
Barden Lake at Haysden
A quick 30 minutes down at Barden Lake with the new lens, but only the old EOS 350D camera, as the 7D is in for cleaning and repair - hopefully! The short session was very enjoyable, but also very cold without my coat!
This is another adult bird, but in this case there is rather less evidence of the hood appearing. Also there are fewer signs of the white tips to the primary flight feathers.
This next one's hood has also not started yet. We are back with rather more obviously white-tipped primaries again.
This is another bird I reckon. The white eyelids are quite visible against the dark of the head, and overall it looks very like the bird at the top of the page:
The next photograph is of a first winter bird. There is quite a lot of wear on the secondaries (?), which are badly (slightly white) "fringed" at the margins. There is a lot of brown in this bird's wings, this is fairly standard where none of the wing feathers have been replaced. The primaries, which have also been around since the bird first fledged last summer, look to be a uniform brown, with no white tips, which may have worn away! The beak (and legs) are generally (as in this picture) orange rather than red, as is characteristic for these young birds.
This is still the same bird taking off. I do like the water drops!
A nice probably female adult Herring Gull, Larus argentatus argenteus on the signpost in the lake.
Friday, 9 January 2015
Leybourne quickly
It was interesting to see the gulls and the geese again. I snapped a few photos but only with the limited 55 mm. lens.
This Black-headed Gull below is already undergoing the partial moult into breeding plumage - quite early in the season compared to others.
Most of the Gulls below have not started their moult. There are two juveniles in the background, one in the air on the right, one on the ground to the left at the back towards the water:
The bird below is a first winter, clear from the sub-terminal bar on the tail, and the brown on the coverts. The outer tail feathers are completely white - it is not that have they been replaced already, its the middle tail feathers that are replaced first. The fact that in this bird the outer tail feathers are white is perhaps a matter of individual variability. This variation is noted in the Gull Research Organisation, on the page describing 1cy December plumage, http://www.ridibundus.gull-research.org/01cydecember.html. This looks to me like a complete white feather tip on either side - this would be an unusual variation as opposed to just the outer web being white. However the only other possibility I could think of would be wear - and this just doesn't look right for wear, I would expect it to be more even across the tail as a whole.
This Black-headed Gull below is already undergoing the partial moult into breeding plumage - quite early in the season compared to others.
Most of the Gulls below have not started their moult. There are two juveniles in the background, one in the air on the right, one on the ground to the left at the back towards the water:
The bird below is a first winter, clear from the sub-terminal bar on the tail, and the brown on the coverts. The outer tail feathers are completely white - it is not that have they been replaced already, its the middle tail feathers that are replaced first. The fact that in this bird the outer tail feathers are white is perhaps a matter of individual variability. This variation is noted in the Gull Research Organisation, on the page describing 1cy December plumage, http://www.ridibundus.gull-research.org/01cydecember.html. This looks to me like a complete white feather tip on either side - this would be an unusual variation as opposed to just the outer web being white. However the only other possibility I could think of would be wear - and this just doesn't look right for wear, I would expect it to be more even across the tail as a whole.
Wednesday, 9 July 2014
Castle Ward
A sunny hot day at Castle Ward, County Down, produced a very nice mix of wildlife, tourism and garden plants.
As far as the birds went, I got a few photos of what seemed to be a second calendar year female pied wagtail, Motacilla alba yarrellii, on the foreshore below the farm at Castle Ward, with its dark grey and somewhat blotchy back, leading gradually into the black cap and a blackish rump (the latter not visible in the first photo below). I remember clearly as a child seeing what I think now must have been individuals of the European race of this bird, Motacilla alba alba in its winter quarters in Africa, particularly on the watered lawns of the yacht club and the posher houses in my then home town of Dar-es-Salaam.
I was surprised to see how brown the primary feathers in this bird were. The outer greater coverts are also browner than the inner ones indicating the mixed age of these feathers. Browning may indicate wearing of the feathers. I wondered if it was a first summer bird, as described in several websites such as http://www.birdguides.com/webzine/article.asp?print=1&a=2544 but this is said to be an unreliable characteristic after the spring, according to http://www.digimages.info/bergri/Wagtails_MotacillaAlba&Yarrellii_DB32-4_2010.pdf.
Another option I investigated but quickly rejected, is that this is a juvenile bird, hatched this spring and moulting into its first year plumage. This bird just wouldn't fit as juvenile plumage. In addition this bird today is very similar to the bird photographed at Morfa on the 10th of April, so both are presumably first summer (2cy) birds.
This is a fairly easy bird to identify to subspecies because of the time of year. As it is summer this must I think be a residential 2cy female (?) bird of Motacilla alba yarrellii. Migrating birds of the European subspecies Motacilla alba alba are more difficult to separate in the autumn than the spring, but it is a bit too early for migrants, and the features do not seem to particularly match alba. Reference to this ID sheet is generally useful, file:///C:/Users/davidc/Downloads/THE-SEPARATION-OF-WHITE-AND-PIED-WAGTAILS%20(2).pdf.
Further information is available on http://www.chog.org.uk/Ringing/Features/Autumn%20Wagtails%20Identification.htm and http://birdwatchidblog.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/autumn-white-wagtails-easy-id-shortcut.html
In this picture the mixed age of the greater coverts is even more obvious. The newer coverts show good broad white edges to the feathers, as yarrellii should. The bird is quite dark grey on the upper flank as well I think (does not seem to be just a shadow cast by the wing), another characteristic feature of yarrellii.
This is perhaps the best picture of the continuation of the black feathers into a blackish rump, yet another feature of yarrellii. Again I think the dark grey of the upper flank can be seen.
Further along the foreshore I came across a different bird that appeared to be a male bird just doing some early moulting - the fluffy down of the old body feathers is over the outside of the new feathers, but still the overall impression is of a very black coloured bird, a putative male. It cannot be a 1cy bird as I had first thought, because they are very much greyer.
In this picture you can also see how fluffy the breast is, and overall the bird is quite tatty. It is quite confusing because this is strictly too early for moulting.
Down on the shore, there were also Herons, Ardea cinerea, Black-headed Gulls, Chrioicephalus ridibundus scavening along the tide line and Common or Artic Terns, Stena sp., fishing out in the deeper waters along Strangford Lough. Later on in the woods, there was a Blackcap, Sylvia atricapilla singing unseasonally and Jays, Garrulus glandarius, calling. Other birds included Blackbirds, Turdus merula, Songthrushes, Sparrows, and Woodpigeons, .
The Black-headed Gulls were largely breeding adults with no signs yet of moulting to non-breeding plumage. These are two different birds, alike as two peas in a pod.
The Grey Heron, Ardea cinerea, was too far away to see any detail.
As far as the birds went, I got a few photos of what seemed to be a second calendar year female pied wagtail, Motacilla alba yarrellii, on the foreshore below the farm at Castle Ward, with its dark grey and somewhat blotchy back, leading gradually into the black cap and a blackish rump (the latter not visible in the first photo below). I remember clearly as a child seeing what I think now must have been individuals of the European race of this bird, Motacilla alba alba in its winter quarters in Africa, particularly on the watered lawns of the yacht club and the posher houses in my then home town of Dar-es-Salaam.
I was surprised to see how brown the primary feathers in this bird were. The outer greater coverts are also browner than the inner ones indicating the mixed age of these feathers. Browning may indicate wearing of the feathers. I wondered if it was a first summer bird, as described in several websites such as http://www.birdguides.com/webzine/article.asp?print=1&a=2544 but this is said to be an unreliable characteristic after the spring, according to http://www.digimages.info/bergri/Wagtails_MotacillaAlba&Yarrellii_DB32-4_2010.pdf.
Another option I investigated but quickly rejected, is that this is a juvenile bird, hatched this spring and moulting into its first year plumage. This bird just wouldn't fit as juvenile plumage. In addition this bird today is very similar to the bird photographed at Morfa on the 10th of April, so both are presumably first summer (2cy) birds.
This is a fairly easy bird to identify to subspecies because of the time of year. As it is summer this must I think be a residential 2cy female (?) bird of Motacilla alba yarrellii. Migrating birds of the European subspecies Motacilla alba alba are more difficult to separate in the autumn than the spring, but it is a bit too early for migrants, and the features do not seem to particularly match alba. Reference to this ID sheet is generally useful, file:///C:/Users/davidc/Downloads/THE-SEPARATION-OF-WHITE-AND-PIED-WAGTAILS%20(2).pdf.
Further information is available on http://www.chog.org.uk/Ringing/Features/Autumn%20Wagtails%20Identification.htm and http://birdwatchidblog.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/autumn-white-wagtails-easy-id-shortcut.html
In this picture the mixed age of the greater coverts is even more obvious. The newer coverts show good broad white edges to the feathers, as yarrellii should. The bird is quite dark grey on the upper flank as well I think (does not seem to be just a shadow cast by the wing), another characteristic feature of yarrellii.
This is perhaps the best picture of the continuation of the black feathers into a blackish rump, yet another feature of yarrellii. Again I think the dark grey of the upper flank can be seen.
Further along the foreshore I came across a different bird that appeared to be a male bird just doing some early moulting - the fluffy down of the old body feathers is over the outside of the new feathers, but still the overall impression is of a very black coloured bird, a putative male. It cannot be a 1cy bird as I had first thought, because they are very much greyer.
In this picture you can also see how fluffy the breast is, and overall the bird is quite tatty. It is quite confusing because this is strictly too early for moulting.
Down on the shore, there were also Herons, Ardea cinerea, Black-headed Gulls, Chrioicephalus ridibundus scavening along the tide line and Common or Artic Terns, Stena sp., fishing out in the deeper waters along Strangford Lough. Later on in the woods, there was a Blackcap, Sylvia atricapilla singing unseasonally and Jays, Garrulus glandarius, calling. Other birds included Blackbirds, Turdus merula, Songthrushes, Sparrows, and Woodpigeons, .
The Black-headed Gulls were largely breeding adults with no signs yet of moulting to non-breeding plumage. These are two different birds, alike as two peas in a pod.
The Grey Heron, Ardea cinerea, was too far away to see any detail.
Sunday, 13 April 2014
Crowds at Leybourne Lakes
Crowds of people, but also Blackcaps, a Willow Warbler, and at least FOUR nightingales singing away. Also 2 Green Woodpeckers, many Blackbirds, 1 Songthrush, say 8 Tufted Duck, 2 Great Crested Grebe, 7 Coot, 25 Greylags, 2 Canada Geese, 20+ Black-Headed Gulls, 10+ Herring Gulls, 1 Great Black-backed Gull, 15 Herons, 6+ Mallard, 1 Reed Bunting, 4+ Chaffinches.
There were a few Black-headed Gulls by the main bird-feeding area. This is a First Summer bird having a go at a dark hood and a dark red bill! It looks moderate!
This one appears less advanced, with not much of a hood at all, and with a light orange bill and legs.
There were a few Black-headed Gulls by the main bird-feeding area. This is a First Summer bird having a go at a dark hood and a dark red bill! It looks moderate!
This one appears less advanced, with not much of a hood at all, and with a light orange bill and legs.
Monday, 31 March 2014
Saturday Cliffe
2 Pintail, 12 Coot, 70 Shoveller, 200 Avocet, 300 Black-tailed Godwit, 100 Dunlin, 30 Shelduck, 4 Mallard, 12 Tufted Duck,
The Black-headed Gulls were displaying noisily over all the islands on the site. This is a small island fairly close to the track up by the side of Radar towards Flamingo, where 3 possible (???) pairs were perched.
The central two gulls here have adopted a "head-down" posture which does not seem to be exactly described in the literature I have been able to find. There is certainly discussion of "the choking posture" but these gulls seem to hold the head-down posture for quite a while, and I see no sign of head movements or of mock choking, so I remain confused.
As quite commonly described, the cloaca seem quite swollen in this display.
These two on the other hand are demonstrating the forward posture - at least as far as I can see!
Here is a link to a video that includes several sequences of "forward postures" on water.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyF2gT9nw3o
And these two may be head flagging. I wondered if their feet were moving.
The Black-headed Gulls were displaying noisily over all the islands on the site. This is a small island fairly close to the track up by the side of Radar towards Flamingo, where 3 possible (???) pairs were perched.
The central two gulls here have adopted a "head-down" posture which does not seem to be exactly described in the literature I have been able to find. There is certainly discussion of "the choking posture" but these gulls seem to hold the head-down posture for quite a while, and I see no sign of head movements or of mock choking, so I remain confused.
As quite commonly described, the cloaca seem quite swollen in this display.
These two on the other hand are demonstrating the forward posture - at least as far as I can see!
Here is a link to a video that includes several sequences of "forward postures" on water.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyF2gT9nw3o
And these two may be head flagging. I wondered if their feet were moving.
Saturday, 8 March 2014
Happy Holborough
2 Mallard, 4 Gadwall, 3 separate(?) Herons, Bluetits, 4 separate(?) Blackbirds, 2 separate(?) Greenfinches singing, 2 separate(?) Cormorants, 100 Blackheaded Gulls, 50 Herring Gulls, 1 Lesser Black-Backed Gull, 1 Redshank, 6 Magpies, Carrion Crows, 1 Coot, 8 Woodpigeons, 1 Stock Dove.
This was the first Greenfinch singing by the Churchfield houses. It looks fluffy as though it might be moulting on the wings, but the timing is way out. Although the greenfinch moult is fairly extended, the very last traces of any moult should have finished in December.
There was a pair of mallard on the river:
I only saw one Coot in the ditch system, but there were certainly more.
This was the first Greenfinch singing by the Churchfield houses. It looks fluffy as though it might be moulting on the wings, but the timing is way out. Although the greenfinch moult is fairly extended, the very last traces of any moult should have finished in December.
There was a pair of mallard on the river:
I only saw one Coot in the ditch system, but there were certainly more.
Monday, 27 January 2014
Barden Lake at Haysden slowly drying out again as the floods recede slightly.
The water level in Barden Lake has slowly and gently dropped, and you can now walk all the way around, muddy though it is. On the Fishing Lake by the cafe block, there were some a couple of nice Tufted Ducks, Aythya fuligula, 2 males. This bird does not have an obvious crest, but I think must still be older than a first winter juvenile, as there is no barring on the flanks. The water droplets still clinging to the feathers may indicate that the bird has recently surfaced and the crest may then be slicked down in consequence.
Other interesting ID features are the interestingly shaped head with the high forehead on a relatively narrow neck. The bill has a good solid black tip or nail (across the cross-section of the bill, looking as though it "has been dipped in ink"). There is more than a hint of a whitish stripe across the front of the bill, contrasting with the blue-grey on the rear part of the bill. The bird is said to sit low in the water but with its tail above the surface, and I think I would agree with this from this picture to some extent - it looks as though its sitting a bit lower in the water at the moment, per haps after a dive. Deep yellow eye, perhaps slightly out of focus. The contrast between the dark wing and the white sides is nice and distinct, a beautiful bird indeed, moving well across the water!.
On the main Gravel Pit, Barden Lake, other individuals were keeping themselves out of trouble. This one looks very much at rest, but with its eyes open! I think that the wings are most easily seen from this angle, with the two sets of primary feathers forming a valley down the back between the two wings. It also looks to me as though the flank feathers somewhat overlie the sides of the wings, giving that fringed effect to the rear of the white sides. The tail sits slightly cocked in this picture.
According to the BTO, "the rapid expansion of the Tufted Duck in Britain during the late 19th/early 20th century is probably due to the colonisation of Britain by Zebra Mussels (brought into London docks in the 1820s)". The birds are omnivorous, feeding mainly on mussels, insects and plant material taken from the muddy bottoms of the water bodies they are on, diving anywhere between 4 - 15 metres down. It breeds better if there aren't excessive numbers of fish.
The females show the same amount of darkening at the top of the biill, with a little light band just behind. Some of them show a scaup-like white patch at the base of the bill, although not quite so extensive, and I rather think quite a lot of them show some degree of lighter brown in that area, like the one in the duck below.
Sunday, 19 January 2014
Wet but bright at Haysden
The paths were still under water, but the sun was shining, and it was actually quite warm. The Gulls and geese were showing well, but it was very busy and there were few ducks to be seen.
This gull is stabilising itself with its wings, in order to duck its head below the surf\ace in a very rapid movement. A skirt of water flies up past its head!
This one is demonstrating its STOL capabilities
and this one looks as though its just blown a huge bubble!
Further around the lake, there were some Tufted Duck, Aythya fuligola, quite a way out on the water from the bird feeding stage. The males were showing off their crests dramatically, as in the picture taken below. This bird looks as though it is riding high in the water, with the tail clearly visible. It doesn't look as though it has dived for quite a while!
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