200 up thanks to a Yellow Legged Gull

EUREKA !!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday 10^th September.   Do you remember that line from Only Fools and Horses when Del Boy’s son was born, and Del came out of the delivery room and said to Rodney (Dave?) and Uncle Albert “I’ve done it, I’ve only bl***y done it”.   Well to-day so have I – to-day, Sunday 10th September 2017, 10.45 am, I saw my 200^th species for the year – a Yellow Legged Gull.

This sighting was particularly pleasing, because my only previous 200 count was in 2010. That year finished with 206, and I did not hit the magic 200 until October. So, I’m ahead all round.

Just in case you are not conversant with this bird, it is only in recent years that, because it has yellow legs, it was split from the Herring Gull, with pink legs. In my experience, the YLG is bigger, as we knew in recent years from the Little Grebe eating YLG called Hannibal.

In recent weeks, I’ve been watching the net to see what has been reported locally, and I kept seeing reports from Carsington Water of one or two Yellow Legs. So, I decided this morning to go to check the good Gull spotting area, the spit in front of Sheepwash hide.    

Alone in the hide, there were a good number of Gulls visible, mainly Lesser Black Back Gulls. Then Jon Bradley, a Carsington Bird Club member came in and I told him what I was looking for, and how he could “make my day”.  He did, instantly, and pointed out what I saw as quite a fine difference between the YLG and the LBG, but it was enough (with the aid of my bird guide) to be sure.

As a nice bonus, and with the water down to about 77% full, it was good to see a pair of Greenshanks, a pair of Redshanks, a single Ringed Plover, and a good group of Dunlin plus a pair of Shovellers. So worth the visit all round.

Nuthatches were in and out of the feeders in the Sheepwash car park (and unusually one on the bird table at the Wildlife Centre), and a squirrel in the feeder was very promptly sent on his way. (No doubt to return when I had gone.)

What else? Well not a lot, but I do have to apologise for an error in my post last week. I referred to the birding cruise from Bridlington harbour, and I incorrectly called the Cruise Ship (!!) the Bridlington Belle. It is in fact the Yorkshire Belle.

Bit of news on the 200 club progress (apart from me!). Amanda is on Anglesey and texted that she had added the predictable Choughs to her 2017 list, a nice addition. With a few rare exceptions, you must travel west to tick off Chough (Either West Wales or Cornwall. I like the fact that the Cornish coat of arms includes a Chough.)

Lorna Lomas, another of the Severn Trent volunteers and a keen birder, has declared her interest in joining the 200 club, and tells me that with the addition of Yellow Wagtail this week, she is on 191.  

Right, I’ve just had a look on the Bird Guides website and I see 3 species at Rutland Water today that I need for my year list, so I’m off tomorrow morning.  Two of them are in the North Arm so I have high hopes of at least a 50% success.   I’ll need to have the Full English to sustain me for the journey, with of course the obligatory Black Pud.

Culinary news – I’m doing a survey on Black Puddings; managed to have 2 different makes last Saturday. One Mary bought at Sainsburys, with a slight apple flavouring, from Scotland, and at a Brunch for a friends 50^th W.Anniversary at Morley Hayes one of unknown origin. I mean you can’t ask the waitress “where did the Black Pudding come from?” can you?

In pole position in the popularity stakes is one from farm Foods – (“It’s a Ten from Ben”) followed by an Irish pudding, which after cooking, falls apart when you put your fork in it, a bit like Haggis - lovely. 

Ed: Slim – please no jokes about Haggis hunting.

TTFN   BFN