Since my last update in June, here we are at the end of the summer. During July & August I managed a few new birds for the year, helping to move my Staunton Harold Year List on to 118 by the end of August. Common Tern increased to a maximum of 10 adults on the 13th July. On the 2nd July 8 Curlew flew over the reservoir and a Green Sandpiper on the 3rd July. During the summer period at least 1 adult Yellow-legged Gull has been present almost daily with a maximum of 3 adults on 23rd August. The 2nd summer Yellow-legged Gull was last seen during mid July.
An adult summer Common Gull was an unusual sight on the 10th,11th & 12th July. Also 2 Egyptian Geese turned up on 12th July and were last seen on 24th August. A Muntjak was walking along the far shoreline early morning on the 13th July. Two female type Common Scoter made a brief appearance on 23rd July and also another Common Gull and 3 Common Sandpiper.
Due to low water levels, I was expecting a Little Egret to arrive at some stage during the summer and sure enough I found one on 3rd August and then a maximum of three on 12th, 21st & 28th August. During the summer the resident Tufted Duck flock increased to a maximum of 138 on several days during August. What will surely be one of the most amazing sights of the year was the brief arrival of a flock of 35 Arctic Terns on 23rd August. They spent a few minutes feeding, plunge bathed and disappeared high to the south, all over, all too quickly. Waders have been few and far between but a juvenile Ringed Plover on 21st August was a nice find. Also one or two Yellow Wagtails, (another scarce bird here) through on several mornings in August.
Finally as the Black-headed Gull numbers started to build up, I was fortunate to find a juvenile / 1st winter Mediterranean Gull on the dam wall, amongst 500 Black-headed Gulls on the early evening of 27th August, a nice way to round off my summer's birding at my local patch.
A new adult Yellow-legged Gull arrived on 24th August 2013. – Tony Davison©
