Sunday 15 December 2013

Caspian Gull, WeBS & Harriers

Lade - 0800hrs - mild, cloudy, sw 3 - The mild weather continues and there was even a moth flying around the garden at 0600hrs this morning, shame the trap has been packed away for the winter...
Anyhow, the monthly wildfowl count was probably one of the best ever for numbers with Coot and Gadwall topping 600 and 300 respectively, while Shoveler, Pochard, TD, Teal and Wigeon all broke the 100 barrier. Most were on south lake which for some reason or other must be food-rich with the Coots dragging up masses of weed from the depths for the Gadwall to plunder. Three Goldeneye and a Red-crested Pochard were also present.
Being`s it was high tide hundreds of gulls were on south lake, where joy upon joy, through the `scope I managed to locate an adult Caspian Gull amongst the Herring and Lesser-Black backs. This was a first for me here, although if I`d paid a little more attention to roosting gulls in the past I would probably have found one ages ago.
Scotney - A quick call in on the way back from Rye revealed all the usual Wigeon, plovers, feral geese and gulls on the grass, plus 20 Dunlin, 10 Redshank and the Long-tailed Duck on the bank at the farm end.
Harrier Count - Joined Marshman for the monthly harrier count where 16 Marsh Harriers came to roost. The light was appalling and with a brisk wind little else was noted apart from several thousand Lapwing, 100 Golden Plover, 20 Snipe, Greylags, Wigeon and Teal. Just as we were about to leave 3 Great White Egrets appeared on the edge of the reedbed, presumably to roost in the reeds.

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