15 January 2009

I have seen long-tailed tits pass at the back of the house for the first time in months, I think it's time I put up some nesting material, namely cat hair which has been a big hit the past 2 years. Usually, we would brush the cat in the evening, put the hair out in the morning and within an hour or 2 everything was gone!



This afternoon, as per usual now when doing the weekly supermarket round, I checked the birds on the Thames next door. First my attention was caught by a lesser black backed eating a big eel, then by another big gull hanging out with the common gulls. Its head appeared fairly white and the neck was more speckled than streaked, but, moreover its eyes were quite dark, so I was hoping I finally had my first Caspian Gull. Unfortunately, the verdict is that it was in fact a herring gull , probably female argenteus, possibly 4th winter, that has somehow kept immature eyes, which is apparently not that uncommon for herring and yellow-legged gulls. So my quest continues.... Photos here and onwards.