Warsash Shore

Wednesday 4 June

The sun is shining, lots of blue sky but still a very strong, blustery wind.  But, you can't stay in the house all day reading a book so I drove up to Newtown Road next to the former School of Navigation at the western end of the village and then walked down to the shore coming out at the mudflats east of the Spit in hoping to find the very long, almost resident, Yellow-legged Gull.  The tide had turned and was starting to make its way back when I chanced to look to my right at a distant pair of gulls just south of the pier. And there it was, a Yellow-legged Gull and I had come without my camera (always a great way to find birds!). But when I looked again the bird had disappeared and/or concealed itself somewhere.

Record shot of Yellow-legged Gull Larus agentatus

Walking down the path to the shore I had already encountered both Blackbird and Chiffchaff along with a pair of Dunnocks on the narrow, shaded path in front of me. So after the brief sighting as above I walked on down the water on the lee side of the Spit and checked out all the Black-headed and Herring Gulls along with a couple of Heron and four sleeping Oystercatchers.

It was after I started back and joined by another birder making his way home that we rediscovered the Yellow-legged Gull now in its usual place during low water, just about the middle of the mudflats between the spit and inner estuary wall.  Still very distant and with out scope but easily able to pick out those custard yellow legs.  No camera, but I did have a phone so unable to get closer but the yellow legs can still be seen.  The return walk back to the car added a second Blackbird and House Sparrow and back home barely forty minutes after leaving!

Yellow-legged Gull Larus argentatus taken in Spain

Distant record view of today's bird

Birds seen:

Heron, Oystercatcher, Black-headed Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, herring Gull, Dunnock, Blackbird, Chiffchaff, House Sparrow. 

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