Black-headed Gull breeding season beginning and ending
The South Lake Black-headed Gull breeding season is largely coming to an end but some pairs are still building new nests
The causeway and wader scrape has become something of a nursery for many of the fledged Black-headed Gulls, exploring the world and most importantly practising flight forms their day, many have wandered to other scrapes or made it clumsily to the estuary to feed. However we still have a few pairs building nests and laying eggs so the season may well continue for a while yet.
South Lake
32 Avocet, 5 Redshank, 90 Black-tailed Godwit, male Ruff, 2 Spotted Redshank, 4 Lapwing, 5 Teal, pair of Crane with chick, fledging Black-headed Gulls practising flight, moulting flock of Gadwall with the male Chiloe Wigeon hybrid.
Top New Piece
Eclipse plumage drake Garganey with 13 Teal, 6 juvenile Little Egret, 17 Redshank, 12 Lapwing, 2 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Little-ringed Plover, Crane, 3 Oystercatcher, 49 Avocet, Yellow Wagtail, 30+ Swift + Sand and House Martins feeding over
Kingfisher/Zeiss Hide
Barn Owl out hunting the Bottom New Piece field and ditch edge at 08:40am, also viewable distantly from the Estuary Tower.
Rushy Hide
Two male Ruff, 7 Black-tailed Godwit, single Lapwing, 5 Redshank, 5 Avocet. Tack Piece- 4 Avocet, 3 Green Sandpiper and 5 Lapwing.
Middle Point
c35 Avocet flew past towards the scrapes as the tide flooded.
