Grafham Water 10 August 2012

A warm sunny morning in six hours covered the dam, lagoons and Dudney Bay areas, quite a slow start but ended up with a good tally by late morning...

33 Teal at the lagoons; 1 juv/female Common Scoter off the yacht club; 1 juv Garganey in Dudney Bay; 1 pale male RC Pochard; 10+ Little Egrets; 22 Green Sandpipers; 10 + Common Sandpipers; 3 Greenshank at the lagoons; 1 juv. Turnstone on the dam; 2 adult Sanderlings on the dam. An influx of Gulls raised the Yellow-legged Gull total to 23 and included 10 argentatus type Herring Gulls and included the striking fourth calendar year Caspian type bird photographed (see below). 2 Wheatears on the dam; 3 Yellow Wagtails; an influx of Willow Warblers with at least 30 between the Model Farm and the lagoons

A Roesel's Bush Cricket headed the insect sightings....

Wheatear

Roesel's Bush Cricket favouring the toilet block door!

juvenile Turnstone

Presumed sub adult male Caspian Gull or more likely Caspian x argentatus hybrid.
Based on plumage and structure could have been an atypical argentatus,
fortunately it gave the diagnostic long call and associated posture when
perched on the gantry, the general structure, the head and bill shape look
good for a large male Caspian with a parallel sided bill with minimal gonydal bulge.
The neck streaking is atypical for Caspian though quite typical for argentatus
At this age the upperpart grey colour can look paler than is typical for Caspian Gull.