Today I had another 'off patch' day and headed up to Staffs with Mark P to visit Gailey and Belvide. I knew I shouldn't have travelled there with a Wolves supporter as he made a point of driving slowly past that horrible yellow and black ground of theirs...I covered as much of the window as I could with a lens cloth as not to burn my eyes!
On arriving at Gailey we quickly picked up the 2 juv Artcic Terns that were present. Whilst there we had a flock of c.80 Lapwing circle around over the reservoir for a few minutes and in with them was a single Golden Plover. Other than these highlights there was very little else of note there.
At Belvide we had good views of both Black Tern (2 juvs) and Artic Tern (1 adult & 3 Juvs). A juvenile Little Gull was also present out on the water, as was the aptly named 'Ted Bundy'. If you wondered, 'Ted Bundy' (after the famous Serial Killer) is the name that the Belvide regulars have given to the semi-resident Great Black-backed Gull that terrorizes the reservoir's other avian occupants.
In terms of waders we picked up a juvenile Knot, a Black-tailed Godwit and a Little Ringed Plover. A juvenile Shelduck was seen on the water and Tree Sparrows, Marsh Tits and a Willow Tit were all seen near the feeding stations.
Black Terns
Arctic Tern
Knot
That`s the problem with giving the patch a miss, Jason. You dwell on what might have been.
ReplyDeleteTell me about it Dean. But then this time of year its nice to go somewhere with plenty of water to see a different selection of passage migrants
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