BEDFORDSHIRE BIRDING

Hi all, its "Gull Time" !!!

I did my first gull count of the "autumn" this afternoon scanning over the new borrow pits north-west of Marsh Leys, Kempston from the blue footbridge over the A421 by-pass.....

4 Yellow-legged Gulls - 1 adult, 1 fourth year, 2 first summers - also 180 variously aged, but mostly younger, Lesser Black-backs, 1 first-summer Great Black-back, 22 B H Gulls inc 2 fledged juveniles

others species present during my 5.10 to 5.30pm visit were a pair and singleton Little Ringed Plover inc a bird sitting on a scrape nest, 2 Little Egrets, 1 Grey Heron, 12a 10j Mallards, 8 Stock Doves, 1 G C Grebe, 1 Mute Swan, 8 Pied Wagtails, and a few Wood Pigeons. 2 Magpies and a Green Woodpecker were by the old A421 close by the Kempston Hardwick turning.Earlier, I had visited Rookery South ClP from 3.35 until 4.55pm. Mammals were a Chinese Water Deer, 1 Brown Hare, a (presumed) Bank Vole and a few Rabbits. Buttys included Ringlets, Meadow Browns, Large Skippers and a couple of Marbled Whites.Some 35 bird species were noted as follows; quite a few G C Grebes inc juvs, 3 Dabchicks, 2 Cormorants, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Little Egret, quite a few Mute Swans with 2 broods of 5 cygnets each, 2 x 2a 2j Canada Geese, several Mallards, 1 pair Shoveler, 3 Common Teal, well over 20 Pochards, Tufted Ducks, 2 Moorhens, numerous Coots, several Lapwings inc a family of 4 downy juvs, at least 10 R/LR Plovers inc at least 4 L R Plovers and 2 Ringed Plovers, 4 Common Redshanks, numerous B H Gulls inc 2 x 2 juvs, 2 L B Backs, 1 sub-adult Yellow-legged Gull flew over, at least 7 pairs of Common Terns nesting, 2 single Carrion Crows, 1 Stock Dove, numerous Wood Pigeons, 2 single Swifts, 2 single House Martins, 1+ Long-tailed Tit in mixed tit flock with a Phyllosc, 2 Common Whitethroats, a Reed Warbler heard, 2 Blackbirds, 1 singing Yellowhammer, 1 Chaffinch, a few Reed Bunting

Martin J Palmer