Gull's

Mosses Gate Country Park - 14.12.2024

I'm not a gull's person, in fact I find the subtleties of identifying "grey" gulls difficult, they all look the same other than Mediterranean gull's like Slender-billed and Audouin's that look so different, so with that said I'm off to MGCP to try and find a juvenile Caspian Gull.

Caspian Gull's a variant of Herring Gull family but laterly recognised as a sub-species, but to me just another Herring Gull, so armed with my extensive gull knowledge I'm off to Mosses Gate to see what's on offer.

Arriving mid-morning it's like gull's city with locals throwing food for the water fowl, the gull's are going bonkers ! too many gulls all looking the same I decide to give looking for the Caspian Gull a miss opting to walk the perimeter of the lake for other opportunities.

On the far side of the lake the light behind is better with nice colour in the water, a row of posts at the water's edge provide resting for a variety of gull species, a good location to spend an hour and what's more I recognise some of the species, you know the usual stuff !

Common Gull

Black-headed Gull

Herring Gull - juvenile

The American Is Back

Taylor Park, St Helens - 03.12.2025

It's been some time since I last posted on the blog that's not so say that I haven't been active with trips to Scotland and Central Spain all done in the last few months. I haven't bothered doing reports as they've more or less been repeats of trips done just a few months earlier.

Now early December and a male American Ring-necked Duck that's been hanging around for a time has reappeared in St Helens. Frequenting two lakes, one public the other private, but mainly the private lake it's a case of waiting for the right opportunity for a visit and importantly in some good light.

Checking Birdguides the Internet bird information service the duck has been reported early morning on the public lake, the weather forecast for the week is rain but good light for today only so the decision is made to make the 30 mile trip.

A new location for me I'm interested and hoping for a smallish lake, is it small ? well yes and no, just small enough to get a shot if not too far away. Grabbing just the camera and the bins the plan is to circumnavigate the lake hopefully locating the duck. Halfway round I bump into a colleague which makes locating the duck a little easier, and with the light behind the duck is more easily located hanging around with some "tuftiest"...time to get the camera out.

Over the next hour or so the duck remains just a little to far away for any mega shots, to add, the light is ever changing from sunlight burning out whites to overcast conditions having to dial in some over exposure. All too soon the sun is low throwing half the lake into shadow signalling the best of the light and day is now over. With some images on the card I'm interested to see the results.

The forecast for the remainder of the week isn't so good, but on the other hand next the week looks promising, maybe other trip ? ...you never know.

Ring-necked Duck - male

The image below, you can just see the brown "ring neck" the duck is named after.