Decent morning at Middleton Moor

I spent yesterday morning at Middleton Moor and certainly felt that I had got my monies worth by the time I left!

First thing, looking from the hide it was immediately obvious that there was a Great Black-backed Gull stood with the Lesser Black-backed Gulls on the edge of the lagoon. I've often wondered when looking through the gulls could I overlook a Great Black-backed and certainly when seen with Lessers the size difference is so obvious that the answer has to be no!.

I think this bird is in its 3rd summer, so not quite adult as can be seen from the brown feathers in the wing and the dark barring on the tail. There has recently been a sighting of the very similar Cape Gull, probably from South Africa, in West Yorkshire but that was an adult so this certainly isn't it.  The Great Black-backed Gull is a rare visitor to Middleton Moor and probably even scarcer now than it was in the past.

Great Black-backed Gull with two Lesser Black-backed

Great Black-backed Gull

Having watched the gull for a while I took a walk, eventually viewing the lagoon from the other side.

As well as the currently resident Little Ringed Plovers a single Ringed Plover was feeding on the shoreline and I noticed another bird landing that looked small for a Curlew and sure enough it was a Whimbrel a scarce but annual visitor.

Whimbrel

I scanned the shoreline again a little later and was very surprised to see another Wood Sandpiper, my third in a week for this very rare visitor which is on its way to breeding grounds in northern Scandinavia.

Wood Sandpiper

There was a lot of heat haze and the birds were distant, but the photos are just about good enough to see what they are.

What else will May produce?

Caspian Gull new for the Darley Dale area

The recent heavy rains have caused flooding in some of the fields bordering the river Derwent and the Wye. Simon has been checking the area by Four Lane Ends opposite Milner 4x4 between Darley Dale and Darley Bridge today and found a 1st winter Caspian Gull. 
This area has always been good for gulls when high river levels cause flooding in the field but no one can remember seeing so many large gulls on the fields. Today there were at least 300 large gulls, mainly Lesser Black-backed but with many Herring also plus at least two 1st winter Great Black-backed Gulls which are the first I can recall seeing locally.
Inevitably the gulls are fairly distant so a telescope is needed to view them. Periodically they take to the air with much calling which I can here from my house!

The Caspian Gull is a scarce visitor to Derbyshire with around 50 records per year and mainly at the larger bodies of water where gulls roost during the winter months such as Ogston, Pools Brook and Carsington.

Caspian Gull 1st winter (centre bird on two upper photos and left hand bird on lower)

Identification of Caspian Gull is as much based on structure as it is on plumage features. Compared to Herring Gull it is longer legged, smaller headed and longer winged giving it a more elegant appearance. The bill is also generally longer and slimmer. In 1st winter plumage the head is white and the mantle generally looks paler the 1st winter Herring also the greater coverts are less spangled often looking darker than those of Herring.

Great Black-backed Gull 1st winter

Simon also thought he had seen an adult Caspian Gull so there could be other birds of interest amongst this flock. A great local find in any case and well picked out amongst the very similar Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls.