Tuesday 8 April 2014

8th April 2014

Weather: WNW 6-7, 5/8 cloud, good vis but hazey

A brief visit produced the highest count of Gannets of the year so far with 68 counted along with 15 Red-throated Divers.  There was a notable arrival and passage of Common Gulls with 350 estimated and the 39 Pale-bellied Brent Geese were still present.

A single Golden Plover passed over despite the blustery wind.

However, bird of the day was a monster of a first summer Glaucous Gull spotted naked eye (it was that obvious!) amongst the Herring Gulls off the North End slipway. It then hung in the air over the island with other gulls before drifting off East where it landed on the East Hoyle bank and could be seen, albeit very distantly from the Obs balcony (see a brief video here http://youtu.be/es4sEwPwFNU).

Unfortunately, it was sat low near the tide edge and could not be seen from the mainland. It was presumably the same bird that later turned up at Seaforth NR this afternoon.



April is an excellent time for white-wingers at Hilbre and the North Wirral coast so it is difficult to say whether this is the same bird as seen off Meols on Friday (see www.lighthousebirding.blogspot.co.uk) or another making its way back North.  It was a similarly monsterous bird in similar plumage but then Glaucous Gulls are!


(SRW briefly)

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