Folkestone Harbour

A brief gull watch after the eco-poetry workshop.

I think this is a first-wintered plumaged Great Black-backed Gull, just moulted into its first winter plumage. It is likely to have moulted fairly recently, probably in October according to the books. The fairly clear chequered look is quite characteristic. The scapulars are quite fresh and with anchor-shaped patterns . The coverts are quite whitish overall, and therefore contrast with the darker secondaries beneath.  The primaries are quite well pointed, rather than rounded. The secondaries are relatively dark compared to later plumages. The bill is entirely black. The head is relatively pale, a fairly clear distinction from the juvenile.

This was the ringed young Great Black-backed Gull, which I have reported back to the Norwegian Ringing Group based in one of the southernmost peninsulas of the country. I am currently guessing that it is a second winter bird.

Here is an adult Great Black-backed Gull on the foul mud in the harbour.

This is I think a young Herring Gull, probably a first winter from the pointed tips to the primaries. The eye seems very high and far forward.

I saw a Common Guillemot in the outer harbour earlier on, and watched it "swimming downwards" as it dived.

A Long-tailed Duck was also reported, but I was in the middle of becoming a poet when it was supposedly seen opposite "Rock-Salt".

Bough Beech

Lots of Greylags, Shoveller, Mallard, Teal, Coot, Moorhen, Cormorant and some Mandarin Duck on the main lake. Possibly some Wigeon as well.

The smaller lake was largely iced over, with only a couple of Carrion Crows.

Bough Beech briefly

Green Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Lapwings, one Snipe flyover, Buzzards, Great Crested Grebes, at least three Egyptian Geese, Greylag Geese, Canada Geese, Mallards, Gadwall, Teal, Wigeon.

Autumn migrants at Bough Beech

A lovely lapwing came quite close:

but the big star were a handful of Green Sandpipers, Tringa ochropus, and I had quite good views, fairly close.

Here is a view of a Greenshank wading through the water, washing the mud off the legs, to expose the yellowish-green legs. As the tertials are blown slightly up and off by the breeze, the plain dark primary feathers of the wing are quite clearly visible.