Having still not quite fully recovered from feeling unwell earlier in the week I lay in bed till almost mid-day instead of getting up and out somewhere. However, the light looked quite nice for photos so I decided I would wander up to Swannie Ponds to look for gulls with rings on their legs. With birds from Norway wintering at the ponds I wanted to see if there were any additions to the few that have been seen since I've started paying attention to the ringed birds over the past couple of winters.
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| Common Gull (EW85247) |
I headed out at around 1345. There was a bitterly cold wind blowing from the east, numbing my fingers somewhat. A few Herring Gulls glided overhead and a Starling struggled to make headway into the wind. I heard House Sparrows chirping from a bush on Court Street but failed to see them. Carrion Crows were seen flying over Clepington Road and a few Feral Pigeons chased around further along towards the ponds.
Arriving at the ponds, a Woodpigeon flew out of one of the small trees by the stairs. A few Mallards were on the water with more hauled out on the island. There were a few gulls on the water, mostly Herring Gulls, while larger numbers of Black Headed Gulls were stood on thin ice up near the far end. The local Mute Swan pair could be seen down on the other pond. In addition to the Mallards there were 7 or 8 Goosanders dotted around, another bird that turns up at the ponds at this time of year. Tucked in close to the island were a trio of sleeping Tufted Ducks - a male and 2 females.
Among the gulls on the ice I spotted a few Common Gulls. There were a few other gulls in the lower pond with the swans. I scanned through the Black Headed Gulls on the path, my eyes being drawn almost immediately to a yellow ringed Black Headed Gull - 2CA6. This was a new one (possibly ringed in Essex, though more likely Aberdeenshire - confirmation required). A white ringed bird proved to be a regular - J4U2 from Norway, and a green ringed bird was JN69 also from Norway. In addition to these 2 Black Headed Gulls I found 2 metal ringed Black Headed Gulls - 6181458 (Norwegian ringed) and a UK ringed bird which I only managed to read the first 3 digits - EY4..... (I've previously seen 2 birds here that start with this sequence).
In addition to the Black Headed Gulls, I noticed also that one of the Common Gulls was ringed and I managed to piece together the code from photos. Again this was a bird I'd previously recorded here - a UK ringed bird - EW85247. I was able to get good close views of the birds and having taken the SLR with me the photos were nice and crisp in the good light. By now, my fingertips were physically hurting from the biting wind. The birds on the path took flight when a mum and child arrived to feed the ducks. I took this as a good time to head for home despite having only been out a relatively short time.
A single Moorhen flew towards the island from the small ramp as I walked along the pond-side path. I stopped to photograph a slightly odd looking female Mallard duck. Before I packed away the camera I also took a few shots of a female Goosander close in. A pair of Dunnocks flew up into the bushes by the stairs as I left the ponds. As I walked back along Clepington Road I spotted a Buzzard being harassed by a Herring Gull over the Mains Terrace wasteground and also a Jackdaw on a chimney across the road.
Only 15 species seen in what was a very short outing, of approximately an hour, but having added another ringed bird it was a successful outing. My fingers eventually regained some semblance of feeling too.
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| Black Headed Gull (2CA6) |
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| Black Headed Gull (2CA6) and (JN69) |
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| Common Gull (EW85247) |
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| Black Headed Gull (J4U2) |
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| Herring Gulls |
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| Black Headed Gull (J4U2) |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Black Headed Gull (6181458) |
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| Mallard |
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| Goosander |
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| Goosander |
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| Goosander |
Species seen - Black Headed Gull, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Common Gull, Dunnock, Goosander, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Feral Pigeon, Starling, Tufted Duck, Woodpigeon.
