Steve Groves

… & a Little Gull too!

Juv. Little Ringed Plover, Abbotsbury Swannery.

Today’s Swannery wader tally… Little Ringed Plover, 2 Ringed Plover, Knot, 3 Sanderling, 4 Dunlin & the usual Oystercatchers, Lapwing & Common Sandpipers. Ditchmoor held a Whinchat, 8 Stonechat & 6 Wheatear. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Little Gull, Abbotsbury Swannery.

Still at least one Little Gull around today at the Swannery & a Little Ringed Plover for its 3rd day. 1st Osprey of the autumn too. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

At least one at the Swannery currently. Pair present in the vicinity all year.

Little Gull (2nd calendar-year), Abbotsbury Swannery.

Still 2 (2cy) Little Gulls this am… 1 beginning to look quite smart now. 2 or 3 Black-tailed Godwits, 3+ Dunlin & the usual smattering of Lapwings & Common Sandpipers between myself, Charlie & @joestockwell.bsky.social. 1 or 2 (Juv) Yellow-legged Gulls at the weekend. @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Curlew Sandpiper (ad.) inadvertently flushed from the Swannery grounds this am. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

5 Wood Sandpipier bombing around the Swannery just now @swannerysteve.bsky.social

A (juv) Yellow Wagtail & 2 (2cy) Little Gulls were among the Swannery highlights today, along with 2 Little Ringed Plovers. A Black-tailed Godwit, a Redshank & a few Common Sandpipers & Lawings also. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Today’s highlights… 3 Little Gulls still, 1st 2 Yellow Wagtails of the ‘autumn’, singles of Ringed Plover, Greenshank, Redshank, 4+Common Sandpipers. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

3 Little Gulls by the tank teeth again this morning. The wader tally… 3 Common Sandpipers & singles of Dunlin, Black-tailed Godwit & the usual Lapwing & Oystercatchers. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

All 3 Little Gulls by the tank teeth again this morning. 3 Common Sandpipers dotted around the Swannery embayment. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

All 3 Little Gulls by the tank teeth this morning. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

2 Little Gulls again at the Swannery this evening. The returning wader migrant tally was 1 Greenshank & 3 each of Lapwing & Common Sandpiper. A few Cattle Egrets beginning to reappear too. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

2 Little Gulls again today. Not a lot else, the only migrant waders being 2 Black-tailed Godwits & singles of Common Sandpiper & Redshank, whilst a few Sand Martins the only obvious migrant passerines. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

All 3 Little Gulls present at the Swannery this evening (& last). 3 Black-tailed Godwits too but nothing else of any real note. @joestockwell.bsky.social @bexbirder.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

We had all 3 back yesterday, presumably they’re feeding southeast along the seaward side as well as northwest (or just not as far NW as Bex). 👍🏻

All 3 (2cy) Little Gulls again today & between myself, @joestockwell.bsky.social, Charlie & Kev a smattering of waders in the last 48 hours… 8 Lapwing, single Ringed & Little Ringed Plovers, 2 Common Sandpipers, Curlew & Blackwit. @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

You should have said hello 🙂

Juvenile Black-headed Gull Denise 👍🏻

Dark vent another pro Common feature though… tricky bird 😬

Except for the black rump 😂 Maybe a hybrid? 🤔

I think the red belly & coarse barring do make this a Common Ian but not sure 🤔

Not working this weekend so just an evening visit to the Swannery again & no sign of the Stone-curlew. Reported earlier though apparently. At least 1 Little Gull & 2 seen earlier. Not a lot else. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

🙏🏻😊

Thanks 🙏🏻 It seemed very fond of the ditched camping stool! 😂

Very distant Stone-curlew at the Swannery this evening. Only my 2nd on patch in 37 years & 1st self found. The 3 Little Gulls still too. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Although being a little more elusive of late, all 3 regular Little Gulls were present at the Swannery this evening. I couldn’t get them to pose together though. 🙄
@joestockwell.bsky.social
@bexbirder.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

👍🏻😕

They were regular in my childhood garden at Littleview Rd., Littlesea but there were then several large conifers at adjacent Lanehouse Farm which were felled went it was built on 🙄

And 2 late afternoon.