Monday 15 July 2013

2nd Summer Common Tern?

15th July - I braved the 28 degree early afternoon sun and spent my lunchtime at the lake.  Disappointed not to have heard about yesterday evening's Black-tailed Godwit, which I still need for the year and which was apparently present for over an hour in the evening - it wasn't there today!

It was baking hot in the sunshine and the only waders were the usual pair of Oycs.  Loads of gulls loafing about, the BHG on the nearside and the LWHG in the heat haze at the back of the spit.  2 adult YL Gulls were eventually picked out and a 2nd summer Common Gull flew over - there have been 1 or 2 different Commons about over the past week or so, I've certainly seen adult, 2nd and 1st summer birds recently.

The BHG contained 3 colour-ringed birds that I could see:
  1. another returning bird seen last year, black R34A, which was ringed as a juvenile at Oye Plage, Le Platier, Pas-de-Calais, France on 07/06/2011.  It was here in late July early August and again on several dates in November.
  2. white 6EC again, seen last week and details still awaited - probably Danish ringed
  3. white EEM3, which I first saw last Friday and is probably a Dutch ringed bird, but details awaited.
As I was about to leave, the Common terns were calling and I noticed a juvenile bird fly in.  Thinking it was 1 of the 2 recently fledged birds that were also on the end of the spit, I scanned through and found these still sitting there, so a newly arrived juvenile from somewhere - certainly not from this lake, as there were only 2 juvs raised this year.  Also, at the end of the spit was a newly arrived presumed 2nd summer Common Tern.  I don't recall seeing a bird in this plumage before and I am assuming it is 2nd summer because it looks too advanced for 1st summer, but it has obvious signs of immaturity - white forehead, black smudging on back of white cheek and remnants of dark feathering in the carpal bar.  Funnily enough, this too bore a metal BTO type ring on its left leg, joining at least 4 others that are metal-ringed only.  Another tern new in to the site, so birds are obviously on the move.  The regular CR Common Tern was also present.

At the back of the pit in the NE corner, a lone male Wigeon looked rather lonely.


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