Number 76

17 Monday Jan 2022

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, Common Gull, gulls, Larus canus, patch birding

I really enjoy the excitement of beginning each new year’s patch bird list, walking miles (I’ve clocked up my first hundred today), checking out locations I’ve come to know much more intimately during the last two years of enforced restrictions on movement (one of the few positives of this pandemic has been learning my local area more thoroughly), finding the less common birds that often elude me. And the latter includes this stunning Common gull (Larus canus), number 76 on my 2022 list.

220117 common gull (1)

It was on the lakeside boardwalk at Cosmeston Lakes, feeding with the Black-headed gulls on seed that had been sprinkled by an earlier passer-by. My approach caused the birds to move back to the water, but not far away. I took a few photos, then sprinkled some seed of my own to encourage the birds back to the boardwalk, which worked a treat.

220117 common gull (2)

Not so Common gull

17 Wednesday Feb 2021

Posted by sconzani in birds

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Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, British gulls, Common Gull, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park

I was standing at a regular feeding spot on the edge of one of the lakes at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, checking the gulls that were floating on the choppy waters, watching them watching me. Amongst the many Black-headed gulls, there was one Common gull, a species which, despite its name, is not so common in my local area.

210217 common gull (1)

There was a bitter easterly blasting across the lake and I knew the birds were hungry, hoping for a handout. So, I obliged, sprinkled the contents of the seed container I had brought with me on to the grassy bank.

210217 common gull (2)

The reaction was instant, a screeching of throats, wings flapping, an excited flurry of hungry gulls heading for the bank, knowing they had to be quick, to beat their fellows, to gain even one seed.

210217 common gull (3)

As I’d hoped, the Common gull came with them, and its slightly larger size meant it had an advantage, used its bulk to muscle in and claim more than its share of seed. And, of course, that meant I was also able to get some reasonably close photos of it. A win for the gulls, and a win for me.

210217 common gull (4)

360/365 Christmas birding

26 Thursday Dec 2019

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature, walks, winter

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, Cardiff Bay walk, Cetti's warbler, Common Gull, Great spotted woodpecker, Grey wagtail, Linnet, little grebe, Moorhen, Stonechat, Turnstone

Normal weather service (i.e. wind and rain) has resumed here today but yesterday, Christmas Day, was glorious – blue skies, cold but no wind, so I took myself on a 6-hour 8½-mile walk right around Cardiff Bay. I saw 44 species of bird (and dished out some Christmas seed to a few), and had some nice chats to random strangers. The birding highlights included …

Grey wagtails and my favourite little Turnstones on the Ely embankment

191226 3 linnets

Seven Linnets in a tree

A Moorhen and a Little grebe at Cardiff Bay Wetlands Reserve

191226 6 great spotted woodpecker

The day’s surprise, a Great spotted woodpecker in trees, also at the wetlands reserve

Two Cetti’s warblers seen (and more heard), plus a lovely male Stonechat

191226 9 common gull

A Common gull puddling for worms with the Black-headed gulls in Hamadryad Park

36/365 Staring at gulls

05 Tuesday Feb 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature, winter

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, Common Gull, Cosmeston, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, gulls, identifying gulls

I’m sure I’m gaining a reputation as ‘The woman who stares at gulls’. I don’t think of myself as a larophile, a gull-worshipper – I’d just like to become better at identifying them. With their annually changing plumages, the juveniles are the most difficult; generally, the adult gulls are easier, if you can get a good look at them. Today, at Cosmeston, while staring at the gulls as usual, I actually found something different, not one of the usual Black-headed gulls or Lesser black-backed gulls or Herring gulls, but this lovely Common gull. Fortunately, it was close to the shoreline so it was easy to pick out its distinctive bill and head shape and colouring. A very pretty little gull!

190205 Common gull

January at Cosmeston

01 Thursday Feb 2018

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature, parks

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Tags

birding, birdwatching, blackbird, British birds, chaffinch, coal tit, Common Gull, Cosmeston, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, Gadwall, Great tit, long-tailed tit, Marsh tit, nuthatch, Pochard, Reed bunting, robin, shoveler

180201 1 Long-tailed tits & Blackbird

7 January Gale-force winds were blasting across the exposed areas around the lake today but, with blue skies overhead, the park was full of people out walking, despite the chill. The wee birds were hungry and I was greeted with much happy peeping wherever I scattered seed and virtually mobbed at the dragon tree in Cogan Woods, by Great, Blue, Coal and Long-tailed tits, Dunnocks and Robins, Chaffinches and Nuthatches, Blackbirds and a Reed bunting were all happy to accept any tasty little morsels.

On the lakes the birds were mostly hunkered down, as it was too windy for flying. Teal, Gadwall, Pochard and a Shoveler were some of the highlights.

17 January After much scrutinising of the huge numbers of gulls that you nearly always find at Cosmeston, I spotted my first Common gull of the year.

180201 10 Common gull

23 January A regular Cosmeston-going birding friend had reported an adult Yellow-legged gull the previous day and I fancied a good walk so I headed to Cossie for a look. These was no sign of the gull but I was delighted to see one of the Marsh tits that frequents a particular spot in Cogan Woods, and it became bird number 67 on this year’s list, before I strode quickly home in pouring rain (yep, drenched!).

180201 11 Marsh tit

I’ve been to Cosmeston a couple more times this month but those outings were more about braving the rain to satisfy my cravings for fresh air and exercise than nature-watching, particularly as it’s been too wet to have camera and binoculars out and about. Let’s hope February is a bit drier.

Birding at Goldcliff Lagoons

17 Monday Jul 2017

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, Buzzard, Common Gull, Glamorgan Bird Club, Goldcliff lagoons, Little egret, Newport Wetlands, waders

170717 Goldcliff reen

I thoroughly enjoyed my first visit to Goldcliff lagoons and Newport Wetlands with my Glamorgan Bird Club buddies this week. As their names suggest, these sites are perfectly suited to water birds and waders so in the two photos below the birds include Black-tailed godwits, Dunlins, Ringed and Little ringed plovers, Black-headed and Herring gulls, Oystercatchers and Turnstones, Lapwings and Shelducks.

170717 Waders (1) 170717 Waders (2)

Apparently, 67 species were seen (or heard) though my personal list only totalled 44 – this is because the birds are mostly quite distant at these sites, and I don’t have binoculars, and I can only see so far with the 300mm lens on my camera, so some birds just elude my eyes.

I did, however, manage to grab a blurry shot of a water vole that a fellow birder spotted, and saw some lovely butterflies and moths, and my sightings did include my first ever Knot and Common gull, so I was happy.