Traeth Lavan

A female Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba  (ssp yarellii) in breeding plumage was by a watery flush in a pasture just inland of the path. A grey mantle, with a dark grey as opposed to shiny black cap, black not connected between nape and throat makes it a female;.a blotchy dark (rather than uniform medium) grey on the back, significant areas of mid-grey - very stylish - (rather than light grey) on the flanks, makes it a female ssp yarellii rather than a female ssp alba. The brown flight feathers suggest this is a first summer bird, retaining the juvenile primaries from last year. The greater coverts have greyish fringes but quite broad white tips, which apparently also fits yarellii. There is little blending of the grey back into the grey-black of the nape as you might expect in a female alba.

More of a hint of a darkish rump in the picture below:

This looks more clearly like a blackish rump. The pictures of this one bird do vary a bit with the light (compare the first picture here) but this looks quite diagnostic.

Cliffe Pools with Med Gulls at last!

10 Mediterranean Gulls, 400 Black-headed Gulls, 100+ Black Tailed Godwits, 50+ Redshank, 30+ Dunlin, 200+ Avocets, 40+ Shelduck, 20 Shoveller, 10 Coot, 8 Great Crested Grebe, 2 drake Pochard, 20 Tufted Duck, 5 Mallard, 6 Herring Gulls. 10 Goldfinch, 4 Robin, 4 Blackbirds, 4 Magpies, 6 Jackdaws.

The Two Song Thrushes were singing at either end of the track between Conoco and Elf Pools. The dark arrowheads on the breast are truly marvellous.

I could hear several Blackcaps, but didn't see more than a glimpse of them.

The Great Tits were singing and I also managed to catch this Blue Tit feeding nearly hidden in the upper branches of the hawthorn scrub.

The Tufted Duck appear to be in pairs or small groups scattered across the pools as a whole:

Two Black-headed Gulls on the iron structure by the Radar-Flamingo path.

Black-necked Grebe eludes me

The Track,

Dozens of Peacock butterflies and Bumblebee Queens, backed by the singing of Blackcaps, Dunnocks, Robins, Great Tits and Blue Tits.

Radar,

On Radar there looked to be the hundreds of Black-headed Gulls, Avocets and Black-tailed Godwits that I had looked at on Saturday, but I didn't have time to stop at the viewpoint today, as I was on the "hunt" for a summer-plumaged Black-necked Grebe.

On BB1, 

there was perhaps a greater variety of birds to be seen on BB1. There were several pairs of Teal, 3-4 Pochards, scores of Shovellers, mainly male, a pair of Gadwall, maybe 7 - 10 pairs of Tufted Duck, and about the same number of Coot, with 1 - 2 Moorhen.

There were also several Avocets, 2 pairs of Little Grebe, but no Black-necked Grebe in breeding plumage.

Pity I didn't take any photos as the light to the left was brilliant.

Cetti;s warblers and chaffinches were singing by the track behind me.

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.

Leybourne in the Spring

The sun was shining and the pressure at work off a bit, so Leybourne called for a bit of a late afternoon walk. This moorhen by the Aquatic Centre was one of many seen today. They are beautiful if bizarre birds!

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.

Lovely day at Horrid Hill

7 Redshank, 6 Turnstone, 1 Dunlin, Curlew heard, 6 Oystercatcher, 70 Wigeon, 20 Pintail, 100+ Teal, 150 Black-headed Gull, 2 Magpie.