Saturday, 22 February 2014

Little and Common Gulls

Common Gull, Larus canus
On Tuesday morning I saw my first Little Gull skimming the waves in front of the East Beach Cafe. On Wednesday morning the weather finally allowed us to work at Heyshott Escarpment again after being rained off the past two weeks. I joined Butterfly Conservation and Murray Downland Trust members to clear more trees high on the escarpment. A Red Kite gave us a wonderful display as we walked down. I called into Arundel WWT on the way home.
On Thursday I found seven Ringed Plovers on the beach, together with Sanderlings and Turnstones. On Friday I met Mark at Church Norton by Pagham Harbour and we walked along the recently extended spit which is causing erosion problem for seaside residents. The swirling currents have caused much beach erosion which is being piled high on the spit. We saw Turnstones and Oystercatchers  on the beach and my first Common Gull on the wing. Two dead Guillemots lay on the beach. Brent Geese were cruising around the harbour.
Tuesday:
Black-headed Gull, Chroicocephalus ridibundus
Little Gull, Hydrocoloeus minutus
Ringed Plover, Charadrius hiaticula
Wednesday:
Heyshott work party
this view did not exist before the recent clearance work
Black-headed Gull, Chroicocephalus ridibundus
Greylag Goose, Anser anser
leucistic Canada Goose, Branta canadensis

Magpie Geese, Anseranas semipalmata
Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos
Shelduck, Tadorna tadorna
Thursday:
Turnstone, Arenaria interpres
Friday at Pagham Harbour:
Black-headed Gull, Chroicocephalus ridibundus
Black-headed Gull, Chroicocephalus ridibundus
Brent Goose, Branta bernicla
Brent Geese, Branta bernicla
Common Gull, Larus canus
dead Guillemot, Uria aalge
homes at risk
Turnstone, Arenaria interpres

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