All the gripping birds decided to drop in the few days when I had no time at all. So when I finally did have time free I was left in a dilemma as to which bird I should go for. I decided to head over to Wigan for the superb looking Sabines Gull at Pennington Flash.
This was a wise choice as the bird showed incredibly well all day, sometimes less than a meter away, and never further than 10 meters away. It was a real beauty and really obliging, coming to bread whenever it was thrown. The only downside was the light was against us all day and so none of the 500 photos I took were anything exceptional. That doesn't matter though, as they show enough to see just how good this bird was. Well worth the trip.
-2nd Summer Sabines Gull
To see a bird like this in nearly full summer plumage was not how I imagined I would tick this species, and especially not coming to bread on a lake in Manchester. Of course, one of the standout features of this species is the colour of the saddle on the birds back when in flight. I labored to get a photo of this feature, but the bird was often too close, as ridiculous as it sounds. Still, I got a few reasonable attempts.
-2nd Summer Sabines Gull
Species List:
Pennington Flash: Mallard, Sabines Gull, Black-Headed Gull, Great-Crested Grebe, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Herring Gull, Canada Goose, Grey Heron, Cormorant, Common Gull, Mute Swan, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Coot, Swift, Magpie, Common Buzzard, Tufted Duck, Common Tern,
Great photos Dan! I'm a bit concerned about the "coming to bread" bit though, can't imagine its digestive system is used to bread!
ReplyDeleteI had not thought about it like that, but the bird chose to come to the bread, so it obviously judged it was safe, or that it was so desperate it was worth the risk. Whenever families came to give the ducks and swans bread it would always fly over with the Black-Heads, so it would be taking it even if it was not birders throwing it. It is interesting though
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