Saturday 23 October 2010

Med Gull - Patch Tick at Big W

 Saturday 0500 and the sky looks quite clear with stars blinking away, get ready, make breakfast and check emails then 0700 look out the window and it is hissing down (the lying bloody BBC/Met Office).  I'm ready so might as well go to Big Waters.  On arrival bump into another regular, Willy, arriving in the Car Park and when we get there another 4 are already there, John B, Keith, Alan and a chap from Keighley in Yorkshire (why the hell come all the way up here asks I, Kingfishers says he, dont know much about birds but suspect there are better places twixt the 2 places).  Anyway the wind is blowing hard, the rain is belting in the windows, its bloody freezing, the light is crap but I suppose its better than staying in the house.  In between the squalls the Otter made its first appearance of the day.  In the Feeding Station it was faring a bit better as it was quite protected a Reed Bunting was flitting around along with the usual suspects:
  

Eventually the others apart from John B left to get some Breakfast and then Alan J arrived completely soaked and within 10mins the weather started to ease.  Eventually we got down to some proper counting and although I had spotted 7 Gadwalls, Alan managed to turn it into 9, which he informed me was an all time record for Big Waters and then 20 mins later another couple seemed to appear so we both did another count and definitely 11 (5 Male, 6 Female).  Alan then spotted a sleeping Gull on the island and thought it might be a Med so we hot-footed it down to the other hide to get a better view.  Sure enough it was a Med Gull with a coloured ring with 3 letters which was a year tick for the patch.  


We then returned to the other hide and observed several flocks of Greylag one, landing on the North Field and 2 joining together and landing on the water.


The Feeding Station had got rather quiet whilst we were away and sure enough the cause was spotted being chased by a Magpie


Even though the weather had been crap to say the least it had been rather a good morning and just as a parting gesture it decided to really brighten up when we closed the door to make our way back to the Car Park

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