Avez-Vous un Cuppa?

Here is a couple shots of another colour ringed Gull, Juvenile Herring Gull (H7C7) which has been around the country park for the last few weeks. I finally got to read the code on the ring a couple of days ago and it looks like the Herring Gull was ringed in Germany and possible on the famous Helgoland island!?! I will update you more info on the Herring Gull when I get it...

As some of you would know, I have been on nights at the General Hospital for the last few days. So finishing my last shift yesterday morning and a few hours kip I got a text message from Roger Brett to let me know that a male Whinchat was in the large field next to Worcester Lake down at Watermead CP Birstall  section. So after some food and a shower it was off to the country park. I was soon scanning the field and thinking maybe I should have got out of bed as I couldn't find the Whinchat! Walking further around the enclosed field I finally picked up the bird as it flitted around the fence posts and nearby vegetation. Get In!(126 for Soar Valley challenge). Watching the bird I noted it was a corking female and must admit Whinchat's are lovely looking birds! Phoning out the news about the bird I also took a few record shots of the bird which you can see above. After taking some shots of the Whinchat I then took a circular walk around the rest of the northern section of ...

Here is more shots of the "probable" Mew Gull I watched again with Allen Pocock, Richard Lowe,and from Cumbria Tristan Reid( http://www.binocularface.co.uk/ ) yesterday. Commenting about the gull I know believe this bird is probably a Mew Gull but "Heinei"(Siberian Common Gull) may not be ruled out? One thing I do believe is that it's not a retarded plumaged European Common Gull (Larus canus)!! Any way if you are interesting in Gulls I would suggest you go and see this bird as you will very surprised what it looks like, how it acts and just the general jizz of this bird and that includes supposed gull experts from Rutland and Norfolk !! Changing the subject slightly over the last couple of days I finally hit the magic target of 100 species in the Soar Valley Challenge. This came in the form of one Sand Martin over the Sand Martin bank at Watermead CP North and a nice looking male Scaup on the Key Lakes at Watermead CP Birstall. So just under 40 species to go f...

Two shots of the Adult Med Gull at Albert Village Lake. "Jocky" Scottish-ringed Cormorant. Following information from Raymond Duncan via the Grampian Ringing group the Scottish-ringed Cormorant or "Jocky" for short has returned to Watermead CP for its third winter! Please see the link for the story so far.... Also before returning to work on the Tuesday, I nipped over to Albert Village Lake on the Monday and got a few more shots of the Adult Mediterranean Gull .

Female Red-head Smew at Watermead CP(Birstall). With the whole week off from work it was down the Soar Valley again and a few more species tick off on the year list. First stop was Cossington South GPs and the surrounding farmland and sightings I saw included a couple of flushed Grey Partridge , and then a mobile Grey Wagtail . Then the phone rang and John Hague let me know that Mick Braker had found a redhead Smew on the Key Lakes at Birstall (Watermead CP). So off I went to twitch the Smew. Reaching the Key Lakes I spotted the Redhead Smew on the only un-frozen part of the Lakes. Get In!! So another good bird for the Soar Valley list. Meeting up with John in the nearby car park we spoke about the long-staying Black Redstart in the new housing estate just off the A6 and decided to include on the Soar Valley challenge. So after John had taken a few shots of the Redhead Smew and the Goosanders on the Key Lakes we met up again on the housing estate and it wasn't long before the cork...