White 28P2

Black-headed Gull - This Colour ringed bird "White 28P2" was present again after several recent sightings. This was ringed at Hosehill GP (Berkshire) in June 2015 and was previously seen at LMGP in July 2015 and June 2016.

Birds and Butterflies

A sunny morning at Little Marlow GP.  The birding was fairly quiet but two Common Snipe were new in.  Two Common Sandpipers were flying around the edge of the lake and avoiding the sand spit, which is often where they like to feed.  Nice to see four Little Egrets present still after the successful breeding this year.  

Common Snipe.  - Maybe more hidden.

Grey Heron - Capturing the sun! 

Three of the Little Egrets

Linnet - One of two seen close to the public footpath along the N of the lake.

Treecreeper - Seen along the W side of the lake close to where they were breeding.
Fairly quiet this time of year but this one gave away it's presence.

Probing for insects under the bark.

Clouded Yellow - Unfortunately I could not get an open wing photo.  Seen to the N of the lake.
Four days earlier 4-6 were present in an area nearby.

Small Copper - The first I have seen for ages.

Small Copper

Common Blue - Several seen.

Little Marlow Gulls

Not a great deal of interest today.  A few Gulls caught my eye.

Lesser Black-backed Gull with colour ring Green "MAZX" on left leg. 

This is a failed breeder which was ringed in June 16 at Texel, Holland.  It has been seen several times at LMGP since mid July.

Great Black-backed Gull - A juvenile/1st winter bird.  The first I have seen here after the past breeding season.

Black-headed Gull - Tantalising close.  Photographed from the point with the bird on the point of the sand spit.  Not quite able to read much apart from the word "Museum".  I just wish Alan Stevens and his 80x lens was there!

Sandwich Terns

Another day, another site and another good county bird.  This time 13 Sandwich Terns that were found by Mike Mayall at 09:30.  I managed to get there fairly quickly and the birds were nowhere to be seen.  However a minute or so later I heard a Sandwich Tern call and they all landed on the sand spit.  They remained there until after 12 noon at least  (still present as I write this as far as I know).
Three of the birds had been ringed, one with colour rings Red over Blue on it's left leg.  It is possible that these are Scottish birds.  Details awaited.
My initial thought that this flock could be a county record but that is in fact a flock of 26 or 27 flying over Wavendon in April 1989 and another flock of 13 at Willen Lake MK on 22nd August 1987.  Interesting that the Willen date is close to todays date.
Thanks to Mike for getting the news out quickly.

The sans pit at Little Marlow with the Sandwich Terns in among the gulls. 

All 13 Terns on the end of the sand spit

Colour Ringed Sandwich Tern Red over Blue.

Gannet at Dorney Lake!!

The Gannet is probably the most frequently seen of the scarce county birds that I have never seen in the county, so when news came from Dave Cleal that he was watching one on the rowing lake at Dorney Lake, I had to get there as soon as possible.  So I quickly gathered my birding hardware together and headed off.  About 20 minutes later I pulled up in the car park and started walking across the grass to the start end of the lake where Dave had found the bird.  Within seconds I saw the wing tips of a large bird just starting to fly out of sight (the body was below a grass bank!), so I ran a short way to see that it was indeed the Gannet and that it was heading back my way.  Relief!  I quickly got my Panasonic G6 out and prepared it for actuion.  The Gannet flew back over the start end of the lake but did not appear to want to land again.  It circled a few times, allowing me to take a few photos, and then flew low off towards the NW, possibly following the Jubilee River, in the direction Maidenhead (and the Thames).  No other sightings were made as far as I am aware.

Apparently the bird was not present when Dave first arrived and he saw it as he came back down the causeway.  Thanks to Dave for getting the news out so quickly and allowing me to get a county tick!

Click on photos to view full size.

My initial view as it flew down the lake and fairly close to a couple of people on the bridge.
At this point I though it would fly across to the Thames and disappear. 

Fortunately the bird decided to fly towards me.
I was still 50 yards from the lake at this time. 

Only one foot can be seen.  I presume the other is hidden under it's feather.

Heading off NW.

Little Marlow Birding

Unfortunately the Little Stint that Alan Stevens found the day before had disappeared, so I had to be content with the birds below.
What was noticeable is the number of birds returning after breeding, either to spend the winter in the Little Marlow area or in transit to their wintering grounds.  So five Teal were present and Gull numbers rising to several hundred.  Sand Martins were feeding above the SE corner but appeared to drift off SE.

Dunlin - This juvenile was asleep when I first arrived.

A while later the Dunlin was feed at the end of the sand spit.

Two Foxes went out onto the sand spit causing the Geese to move well away.
The above photo is rather misleading in this respect due to the
 foreshortening effect of the high magnification..

This Cormorant has picked up a fishermans lure.
I watched the bird for several minutes before losing sight behind the island.

I could not decide if the Cormorant was trying to discard or swallow the lure.
I suspect the hook had got caught and it could not do either.  If so it will be a sad end for this bird.

Lesser Black-backed Gull.  This colour ringed bird has a Black ring on it's right tarsus and a white ring inscribed "WO".  It was ringed in Holland in 2012 and has been seen at Little Marlow in the past two years.

Black-tailed Godwits and other things

A walk around the lake just after 9am was intended to beat the forecast rain.  I failed in that and after having got 2/3 of the way round the rain came in.  However ever cloud has a silver lining and in this case it was in the form of seven Black-tailed Godwit which had been forced down by the rain.

Black-tailed Godwits with Lapwings etc.  on the sand spit.

Also seen along the southern edge of the lake were three Warblers fledglings (below).  Two were huddled together and were calling regularly.  I waited at a distance for some time but did not see the adult.  The youngsters then all disappeared inside the thick undergrowth and I suspect the adult had called to them.

Warbler species, thought to be Chiffchaff but unfortunately adult not seen.

A quick look at the Terns in the rain showed up two swimming birds, one perched on a stump (the same unringed bird as per my previous post and still being guarded by an adult) and one in the reeds at the side of the lake (below). I later heard that one youngster was seen dead on the water but not sure if this is one of the ones I saw or another.

Common Tern chick - Hiding in the vegetation along the west bank.  One of the ringed birds.
The adults should continue to feed as long as it keeps calling..