Nethergong Birding

The final push for year ticks! A couple of visits over the past week have produced a few birds including yesterday, 1 Raven, 1 Peregrine, c300 Stock Dove, 63 Golden Plover flying NW, 1 Marsh Harrier and c60 Linnet. I often check the gulls in the fields for something different and whilst scanning through with the binoculars, I picked out a  bird which had a slightly darker back than the Herring Gulls around it and appeared to show yellow legs. I had my suspicions this could be a Yellow-legged Gull but am not too great on gull id. I took a few very distant shots in the hope I could get an id of the bird and also a few flight shots showing the wing pattern. I watched it for sometime and every time it passed a Herring Gull, it was easy to pick out with the darker back. I posted a few shots on Twitter last night and asked a few of the Gull experts out there who both come back and said it was indeed an adult Yellow-legged Gull (128). This is a new species for the site and one I have been hoping for. I did take the scope with me today but couldn't re-find it. Other bits today included c600 Stock Dove in fields together, 3 Common Buzzard, 1 Peregrine, 2 Kestrel, 5 Fieldfare, 1 Coot, 1 Greenfinch, 4 Stonechat, a mixed flock of c80 Chaffinch and Linnet, 1 Goldcrest, 1 Treecreeper, 4 distant Goose species over St Nicholas at Wade and whilst checking the Gulls flying by, I managed to find 2 Great Black backed Gulls (129). This may well be the last species added this year unless I can repeat last years final Hen Harrier on New Years eve. Weather permitting, I will hopefully be out having a look for something before the year finally says goodbye. 

Adult Yellow-legged Gull