Sunday 1 June 2014

Summer plumage waders in Cornwall

I took these shots last week on the beach and rocks in Mount's Bay.  I counted about 140 Sanderling, 30 Dunlin and seven Purple Sandpiper.  All of them were in nice summer plumage. May is the best month (and short window) to see waders in their best plumage.







First summer Ross's Gull at Bowling Green Marsh, Devon

A first summer Ross's Gull has been present at Bowling Green for two weeks though was only identified last Thursday by Rob Laughton.  It was previously considered to be a Little Gull.  But who would expect to stumble across this species which should be inside the Arctic Circle?!  It certainly created quite a twitch of around 50 birders today.  It was always distant and these two shots were the best that I could get, peering through a gap in the hedge.