Thursday, 21 October 2021

Dale Airfield & Gann

Pretty quiet at the airfield with a single Golden Plover and a Jack Snipe along with 30+ Snipe at the pond.

A bit livelier at the Gann.  Highlight was a Cattle Egret, first picked up roosting on the saltmarsh with Little Egrets and a Grey Heron, then flew to the lagoon outfall, then off up towards Philbeach.  I bumped into Brian and 5 minutes later it flew back in to roost with the Little Egrets in the trees by the road south of Crabhall.

A nice selection of waders included 5 Black-tailed Godwit, 8 Bar-tailed Godwit, a single Knot, 40 Redshank, 6 Greenshank and 2 Dunlin.  The 6 Brent Geese remain.

A good number of gulls up the river included 20 Mediterranean Gull (16 adults, 3 2CY, 1 1CY) - 3 of these were colour-ringed (all read) and at least 2 more metal-ringed only.  2 Common Gull (both 2CY) and a Skomer colour-ringed Herring Gull which I failed to clinch, along with a yellow-ringed Black-headed Gull.

Nice views of a Grey Wagtail on the track by the river, and 2 Meadow & 10 Rock Pipit.