19/01/12 Gulls

Visited Rampside again in search of Gulls. Numbers were down on the last few days and it was the larger sp that were reduced in numbers, again it was difficult to get close to the flocks and nothing unusual was found. The roost at Roosebeck contained a single 2nd winter Med Gull and the Norwegian ringed Black Headed Gull but little else.

I had to pick the life spoiler up from school at 3 o-clock (what no detention today boy?) so decided to have a look at the Geese at Ravenstown and very interesting they were too. Plenty of Pink Feet and smaller numbers of White-fronts and Barnacles with Teal, Wigeon, Shoveler, Redshank, Oystercatcher and 12 Golden Plover, but no sign of any Bean Geese.

I thought I might spend the rest of the day at Cav Dock watching the Gulls coming into roost. It was hopeless trying to watch the birds on the water, the wind was whipping up the waves making it impossible to see the gulls but as they took off and flew out to the roost on the sands I could check them out.

As I was working through the Gulls on the beach all of a sudden they all lifted as a black Retriever dog ran right through the roosting birds, some bloody people! Amongst the approx 80 Herring, 200 Black Headed, 6 Great Black Backs and 4 Lesser Black Backs there was a single 2nd winter Med Gull and another flew in later on to the dock.  More visits here in the future for the gull roost maybe worthwhile.