Mystery Gull

Fishlake has a considerable and variable Gull population during the winter. Mostly this consists of Black Headed Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull and a few Black Backed, but it throws up the occasional oddity as well. A Yellow Legged Gull has turned up on a few occasions this winter, but on this lovely sunny day I photographed this one accidentally which no one seems very sure of.

Mute Swan numbers seem to have swelled of late with plently of youngsters around.

Good practice for "birds in flight" photos, if only the Hobbies were this easy....

The number of fish-eating birds that survive around Fishlake is quite extraordinary given the newness of most of the ponds. Cormorant flocks can be well over 50 although only a dozen or so were about today, sitting in their tree looking like vultures

Grey Herons on the other hand seem largely fairly static and numbers are usually around 50-60, mostly dotted around the edges of the ponds, although often tucked away from sight unless something or someone disturbs them.

Seeing this number in flight in a confined space is quite a spectacle, only 30 or so went up on this day, together with various waterfowl

including Greylag Geese and a Shoveller with delusions of grandeur