Decent wader passage at Middleton

 The first real signs of autumn wader passage getting underway today at Middleton Moor with Wood Sandpiper, Dunlin and 4 Ringed Plover. The Ringed Plover and Dunlin departed high NW but the Wood Sandpiper was then joined by 3 Redshank and a Ruff.

On the 14th I had a Green Sandpiper at Middleton so the photos taken today of the Wood Sandpiper make a nice comparison with the Green, both are juveniles.

Wood Sandpiper juvenile

Green Sandpiper juvenile

Ruff juvenile

Ringed Plover, Wood Sandpiper and Dunlin

Avocet - Middleton Moor

 I've been in Latvia at Kolka for the past 10 days so again catching up on local birds.

A good passage of waders through Middleton with a high counts of16 Ringed Plover on 25th May which left then 19 on 29th May.  Also Sanderling on 27th May then 7 on 29th.A Black-tailed Godwit was seen at Middleton on 22nd May.

I had 14 Dunlin drop in for an hour at Middleton on 30th Maywith a single Ringed Plover.

On the moors there has been regularly sightings of Hobby and the expected Nightjar and Woodcock.

This morning was a real surprise though, with a pair of Avocet on the lagoon. They slept for the first hour after I first saw them so I presume they were recent arrivals. After a sleep they were feeding and seemed fairly settled.

Avocet 

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?

Lesser Black-back Gulls at Elton Common

 I've been abroad in France for several weeks but before I left I checked several times on gull numbers around Elton Common/ Pike Hall and there were generally around 100 birds loafing around in early August. Checking there today I estimated around 2000 birds were present as the fields were ploughed at Elton Common today (a few days ago Simon counted 8.8k at Carsington so there must be plenty of other groups around)

Lesser Black-backed Gulls following the tractor

There are almost 400 birds in the photo above and there was a second tractor with a similar number of birds in attendance with large numbers sat in the neighbouring fields.

There were several darker backed 'intermedius' type birds along with a few Herring Gulls and several Black-headed Gulls plus at least one Common Gull.

Lesser Black-backed Gulls with a darker intermedius type (centre) and Herring (right)

Earlier I had a Ringed Plover fly over Beeley Triangle, calling and my first local Northern Wheatear of the autumn. 

There was an Osprey over the moor on Saturday, but too distant for photos, and what may be the same bird was seen again yesterday.

No sign of any Pink-footed Geese yet or winter thrushes but that will hopefully change before the month end.