I spent a full day at the farm which started with a chilly wind. There were a few movements over Puddletown Water Meadows (Mill Mead) including Great Black-backed and Lesser Black Backed Gulls. No hirundines so far but it is generally a bit early for Sand Martin!
I was just about to move on up the lane and a Shelduck entered from the SW circled and then landed on the flooded meadows. It spent the next hour or so feeding and generally wandering around! This species is not rare in Dorset but was the third record for Bardolf Farm! Two birds dropped in at the same place on Friday 26th January 2024. Blog entry here.
The rest of the day was spent doing the rounds which included observations at the feeding stations. Numbers were down but perhaps this is a result of the milder weather! Owl watch did not even produce a hoot in any direction!
Yesterday whilst up a ladder cleaning the guttering I heard Mediterranean Gulls calling. I quick slide down the ladder dash in the house for the camera and a garden tick ensued. Twelve birds were counted amongst Black-headed Gull. The bird in the picture is a 2nd winter with black notching on the outer primaries and an incomplete black hood.
No comments:
Post a Comment