I popped down to Seafield this morning to reacquaint myself with the Lothian avifauna. Nice views of Red-throated Divers were the highlight along with a colour-ringed Black-headed Gull (left yellow 2XCL - ringed in Aberdeen I suspect). [Also, just remembered, a candidate Nordic Jackdaw at the entrance to Craigmillar Castle along with a group of typical Jackdaws - I pulled in, avoided eye contact but the flock still flew before I got the shot...] As always at thecoast, I spent a wee while grilling the gulls - even a small number of Herring Gulls can provide plenty of entertainment for the larid-lover.
The shots are of a first winter (if that means anything in the tropics) photographed on the Shire River at Liwonde National Park alongside a Whiskered Tern. The dusky underwings are fairly distinctive in the Grey-headed Gull along with the white blaze across the primaries and coverts
Finally, here is one of the Red-throated Divers from Seafield this morning.
5 comments:
2XCL is indeed from NE Scotland; 2XCN at Seton the previous 2 weekends was ringed there this summer while mist-netting terns at night - it was their first out of the area recovery; we should expect a few more...
Stephen, that is amazing that the ring codes are so similar! Maybe they flew down in formation! All the best geoff
Welcome back to reality! Nice RTD - have never been near a shot of one.
What is the other bird in the first pic - looks like a tern?
Apologies, read your post properly - Whiskered Tern.
Stuart, there were at least 6 RtDs off Seafield sea wall on Sun, and a couple were pretty close in. Tide was low but don't know if that makes a difference? Geoff
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