Dear all,
I made an evening visit to Funton Creek near Iwade in the evening hoping to catch the rising tide, which I did. I scanned the gulls along the shoreline and located a juvenile Mediterranean Gull which quickly flew inland. Also along the shoreline were 2 Spotted Redshanks, 25 Black-Tailed Godwits and 4 Little Egrets.
On the return journey, about a mile north of Bobbing, I saw a mass of Black-Headed Gulls attracted to a field that was being ploughed. The gulls were roughly divided into equally sized groups, about 500 strong. One group was visible from the road while the others were tantalizingly out of reach on a neighbouring field without access.
I scanned the gulls for an hour and they obliged by standing fairly immobile thereby providing ample opportunity for study.
By the end of my visit I'd amassed a total of six juvenile Mediterranean Gulls and five adults starting to moult out of summer plumage. A record shot of one juvenile positioned between two adults is attached.
I wonder where all these juveniles have hatched and whether this number is typical at this location or indicative of a good breeding success somewhere (nearby)? Maybe even more Med Gulls were in the neighbouring field? I expect that the main attraction of the gulls to the fields was the ploughing activity and I was lucky enough to have been around at the time for such a count to have been made.
Lancey
I made an evening visit to Funton Creek near Iwade in the evening hoping to catch the rising tide, which I did. I scanned the gulls along the shoreline and located a juvenile Mediterranean Gull which quickly flew inland. Also along the shoreline were 2 Spotted Redshanks, 25 Black-Tailed Godwits and 4 Little Egrets.
On the return journey, about a mile north of Bobbing, I saw a mass of Black-Headed Gulls attracted to a field that was being ploughed. The gulls were roughly divided into equally sized groups, about 500 strong. One group was visible from the road while the others were tantalizingly out of reach on a neighbouring field without access.
I scanned the gulls for an hour and they obliged by standing fairly immobile thereby providing ample opportunity for study.
By the end of my visit I'd amassed a total of six juvenile Mediterranean Gulls and five adults starting to moult out of summer plumage. A record shot of one juvenile positioned between two adults is attached.
I wonder where all these juveniles have hatched and whether this number is typical at this location or indicative of a good breeding success somewhere (nearby)? Maybe even more Med Gulls were in the neighbouring field? I expect that the main attraction of the gulls to the fields was the ploughing activity and I was lucky enough to have been around at the time for such a count to have been made.
Lancey
