Holywell Pond and the Obelisk Area

Decided to bike down to Holywell after school tonight saying that the wind had died down. Got there about 16:20 and was greeted by quite a few gulls, quick scan produced nothing, then I looked just in front of hide, only a few metres and there was a 2nd Winter Med Gull. After a closer look the bird didn't look to well, making to short flights, with its right leg trailing.

I was joined by Simon and he agreed the bird didn't look right, at 16:36 the Med Gull flew off to the west looking pretty fine other than the trailing leg, I guess it most of just of needed a rest and a drink to sort itself out. I follow Boulmer Birders blog I find his field notes and sketches amazing so I had a go drawing the pattern of black feathering on the head and the beak pattern, I also noticed the amount of the black this gull had on its wings, which I made note of. Here are two poor quality pictures I took, the 2nd to show wing pattern.

Scanning the rest of the gulls I found 2 Lesser Black Backed Gulls, amongst Herring, Common, and Black Headed. On the pond in the way of wildfowl there was 40+ Greylag, 2 Canada, 16 Mallard, 2 Great Crested Grebes performing the reed dance, 1 Little Grebe, 15 Tufted, 21 Wigeon, 6 Pochard, 2 Teal, and 2 Mute Swan, 6 Coot, Moorhen and a Grey heron were also on the pond. The feeding station was relatively quiet with 2 Long-Tailed Tits and a Great Spotted Woodpecker being the highlights. Large Numbers of Goldfinch were in Birch Trees at main gates, and the usual House Sparrow flock in hedgerow leading from estate.

A walk down to the public hide produced 1 Curlew with 3 overhead. i decided to have a walk down to the Obelisk to look for Little Owl and Partridge. When I got down there I picked up 2 Red-Legged Partridge almost straight away they were feeding under a pheasant feeder, also down that way I seen a few Song Thrush, Jackdaw, Rook and a Brown Hare which was new for the area.

I continued down to the path leading to Dene travelling through tall hawthorns, 5 Linnets, Female Sparrowhawk and more Song Thrush were in this area. Quick check of the North Pool produce nothing, then it was off home at 18:30.

Good evening with 45 species, bringing my patch list to 67.

Oh had a Song Thrush on Newsteads Drive on the way to school this morning as well, hopefully they'll breed again.