Around this small airfield are a number of old saltpans which appear to be redundant, but retain a sluice which means the water level is dependent upon the nearby estuary. One pool is easily accessible being on a roadside, allowing easy watching from the car and the birds are not disturbed. The view above was of this afternoon's visit and at first sight, there didn't appear to be much going on. It does however become a favoured roosting place and in a matter of minutes, can fill up with a variety of species. My attention was first drawn to 4 Avocets, a species I don't normally see there. Common Sandpiper and Kingfisher are frequently seen here and, along the narrow shoreline Bluethroats are almost guaranteed, given a little time. Two more visitors were roosting Black-tailed Godwits which commenced feeding after a while. Gulls started to come in steadily, mainly Black-headed but invariably some Mediterranean Gulls arrive with them. A smart adult Mediterranean dropped in with 4 Black-headed Gulls. Among some young Black-headeds was this 1st winter Mediterranean Gull. 1st winter (left) and adult (right) Mediterranean Gulls. I have seen Caspian Tern roost here but not many large gulls. I was surprised to see a 2nd winter Greater Black-backed Gull sweep in and land on the island. Lesser Black-backed Gulls are quite common, unlike the Greater and this 3rd winter Lesser Black-backed only stayed for a short time. White spots on primary tips and a trace of black tailband still visible. A Greenshank was on the far bank and this one of two Redshank was much closer. 10 Dunlin with 1 Ringed Plover stayed only momentarily and on the field behind this pool, a substantial flock of around 70 Northern Lapwing took to the air, with several Common Snipe.
An excellent little site, well worth watching. Comments are closed.
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