Although it was rather windy out, the forecast was at least dry and rather mild for this time of year. I decided not to stay in the whole day and to go for a walk despite my sore leg showing no signs of improvement. I toyed with setting myself a target figure but felt the windy conditions and time of day, mid-afternoon, would certainly count against me. I decided to once again try Swannie Ponds to check for ringed gulls.
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| Black Headed Gull |
I headed out at around 1440 but birds were rather scarce until a pair of Blue Tits flew out from a tree and into another. House Sparrows chirped loudly from a couple of hedges but I failed to see them. A Feral Pigeon flew over, then a Herring Gull and a Jackdaw as I neared Clepington Road. On the walk along the road I added a Carrion Crow and a couple of Woodpigeons. What sounded like a Pied Wagtail was heard but not seen.
Arriving at the ponds there were lots of Black Headed Gulls and Mallards feeding on some seed at the bottom of the steps. These quickly took to the water once again and I wandered along the path to a spot that was far enough away for the birds to venture back again to the food. The first Black Headed Gull I looked at properly had a yellow leg ring and I quickly pulled out the camera to try and get photos. It turned out to be yellow 2CA6, a bird I was certain I'd seen here before, possibly more than once.
On the water, in addition to the Black Headed Gulls and Mallards were some Herring Gulls and a few Common Gulls as well as the resident Mute Swan pair. A pair of Redwings flew into a couple of trees where they perched for a few minutes before flying over to the island. A Blackbird was heard on the island but again went unseen. Walking further round the path I was able to add Tufted Duck and Coot to the list. There were a number of Black Headed Gulls stood out on the path and I stood and scanned through them, relocating 2CA6. A second yellow ringed bird was spotted but I couldn't get the camera to focus on the correct bird before a dog-walker flushed the lot.
I waited for a while in the hope that the second bird would return and once things had settled down again the birds started to return with first 2CA6 and eventually the second yellow ringed bird - 2XLD, another bird previously seen here, landed among the group. A bird with a damaged foot that I've seen last winter and this autumn also put in an appearance. A third ringed Black Headed Gull was also found but only partially read off "5Y4" & "737" seemed to be the bulk of the number, but will require another sighting to confirm. It isn't a bird I've previously seen here as far as I can tell. A Moorhen ventured out from the island giving me another species. I headed down to Eastern Cemetery to look for Redwings and Fieldfares.
A flyover male Blackbird and a small flock of House Sparrows were seen on the way. A Chaffinch was heard at the cemetery, along with Goldcrest and Coal Tit, but birds were in short supply again, with an adult and juvenile Woodpigeon, a Carrion Crow, a Herring Gull, a few Feral Pigeons and a few Redwings flying over all that I had to show for the effort to get to the site. I debated trying the Stannergate and City Quay but decided instead just to head for home.
Certainly not a classic afternoon's birding, but always good to find a few ringed birds when they are the target. A new one gives me a reason to try again as winter progresses. It is much easier to read rings when the ponds are frozen as long as the local kids aren't running amok on the ice. Only 16 species seen though.
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| Black Headed Gull |
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| Redwing |
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| Redwing |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Tufted Duck |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Feral Pigeon |
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| Black Headed Gull |
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| Black Headed Gull |
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| Black Headed Gull |
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| Woodpigeon |
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| Woodpigeon |
Species seen - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Common Gull, Coot, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Redwing, Feral Pigeon, Tufted Duck, Woodpigeon.
