08 September 2011

It's been a rather hectic but productive morning and I'm due in work in 40 mins so I will have too make this rather brief.

Started off at Westport as usual, a Jay was calling from the wood by the bottom entrance, on the main lake 600+ Black-headed Gulls came in for a brief wash and feed from there overnight roost before carrying on there journey, also on the lake 53 Tufted Ducks, 4 Mute Swans plus another 2 on the boating lake, 5 Great Crested Grebes which included the chick, and the single Pochard, 6 Chiffchaff were around the park, overhead 4 Swift were present with over 100+ House Martins, 30+ Swallows and 6 Sand Martins, a Grey Wagtail was along the old beach area and another over the sewage works, a Grey Heron flew over the main lake and probably the same bird was later seen over the sewage works, on the gas works the Mistle Thrushes have reduced further to just 12, a Pied Wagtail flew over and the first Meadow Pipit of the autumn with another over the visitor centre, 3 Bullfinches were by the boardwalk bridge and a juvenile Bullfinch by the top pool, a Willow Tit was also around here and a female Great Spotted Woodpecker.

I hadn't been home long when Steve Seal rang asking if I'd like to go down to Belvide to see the Sabine's Gull, I didn't need asking again, and an hour later we were at Belvide, we didn't have to wait too long when the Sabine's Gull appeared along the Dam Wall, it was just 20ft away at times and totally oblivious to the small crowd looking down on it. Below is a record shot i took with my mobile phone against my bins.

Also present was a rather nice juvenile Arctic Tern.

Later in the morning at Westport Pete Lunt had, Swift, 3 Sand Martins, a pair of Blackcaps, Willow Warbler, Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Buzzard. Right off too work!!