More geese and first Common Gull of the autumn

 I saw my first Common Gulls of the autumn this afternoon with two adults feeding in a recently ploughed field with Lesser Black-backed Gulls close to Bonsall Moor. 

They will be joined by more birds as we get into winter with birds roosting at Carsington or Ogston.

Common Gull= adult

The Pink-footed Geese have continued to pass over Beeley Moor with 1200 yesterday morning and a further 1800 today. The first birds are generally seen around 08:00 and the movement is coming to an end by 10:00. This morning we counted 23 skeins, varying in size from a dozen birds to over 300 with most comprising 50 to 80 birds.

Pink-footed Geese

Common Gull

It rained more or less all day yesterday and the river Derwent has burst its banks in several places producing a large number of flooded fields. Yesterday I had a party of 20 Mandarin Duck which is a good count locally plus at least 150 Pied Wagtails feeding on the wet fields. There was a single Common Gull with Black-headed Gulls in flooded fields in Darley Darley today. I see a few Common Gulls during the winter and occasionally in the Spring.

Common Gull with Black-headed Gulls