A touch of the Mediterranean at Inner Marsh Farm this afternoon; sadly not sultry bikini-clad senoritas with loose morals, but the more mundane appearance of a summer plumaged Med Gull.
As in common with most gulls, they look quite dapper in their breeding finery, although the white line surrounding the eye of the black capped Mediterranean Gull gives it the appearance of a balaclava wearing member of the Ulster Volunteer Force in my book, but maybe that’s just me!
Looking in my Collins Bird Guide, it also appears that Pallas’s Gull suffers from the same affliction, but by virtue of its size looks even harder!
With southerly winds and rainfall early morning, it wouldn’t have taken a genius to work out that there was good potential for migrants this morning and it was no surprise to find circa twelve Wheatears feeding behind the sheep pen on the way to Burton Point.
Other odds and ends on the marsh included a Greenshank near the guardhouse and the Ruddy Shelduckish thing associating with a group of Common Shelduck.
Until later.
Hi Paul, I was at Connah's Quay today and had a ringtail Hen Harrier hunting over the near end of the Ashpool, it was trying to molest a female Teal which kept diving under the water just in time to evade those impressive tallons, if was quite a sight to have at such a short distance. Good to see these birds are becoming more frequent on this side of the Dee.
ReplyDeleteChiffchaff have arrived down there but no sign of any other migrants.
Regards,
Mark M