gryllosblog   Gryllo's (aka Ian Lewis') blog. All things to do with travel, wildlife especially birds, history, architecture and anything else that interests me.

Avon Beach looking towards Highcliffe

 

 

A visit to Avon Beach to the east of Mudeford Quay proved most worthwhile as well the reported juvenile Sabine’s Gull, a second Sabine’s and a first winter Little Gull were present.

 Sabine’s Gulls breed in the High Arctic, those reaching Britain probably breed in Arctic Canada, they winter off Namibia in the Benguela Current and around the Cape of Good Hope. They are usually only seen in Dorset after strong westerly winds.

Juvenile Sabine’s have a grey head and mantle and although not as striking as the adult, are still one of the best looking gulls in the world.

The Little Gull lives up to its name and looks like a tern in flight. Many of the UK birds originate in western Russia and Finland and winter in the Irish Sea. Best sites for them in the UK are around Merseyside / Lancashire and the Humber estuary as they cross the Pennines to and from their breeding and wintering grounds.

Due to the position of the sun it was only possible to photograph these birds as they flew towards us. The obvious dark M on the upper wings can’t be seen but at least the dark cap and face pattern can.

First year Little Gull

First year Little Gull

Juvenile Arctic Tern

Juvenile Arctic tern

Arctic Terns travel from breeding grounds in the  Arctic to winter in the Antarctic and so enjoy more hours of daylight than another living creature. They are fierce defenders of their breeding terrritories as the two photos below show.

Arctic Tern and Norman MacClean, Ny Alesund, Spitsbergen June 2009Arctic Tern photographed with a wide angle lens. Ny Alesund, Spitsbergen, June 2009

 

Arctic Tern photographed with a wide angle lens. Ny Alesund, Spitsbergen, June 2009

Stanpit Marsh, ChristchurchStanpit Marsh, Christchurch

 

Stanpit Marsh, Christchurch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sandwich Tern roost

 

 

 

And finally I went up to Blashford  where the highlight was a Hobby hunting over Ivy Lake. On my way I stopped to buy a new pair of walking boots at Barker’s in Southampton Road, Ringwood. If you need new boots then I highly recommend them, as they give a level of attention and service unheard of in High Street shops.

 

 

Barker's, Ringwood.

 

By the way: my run in with Currys / PC World over the instalation of digital TV boxes resulted in a £50 voucher. So it pays to complain.