Curious to know why there were so many birders at the visitors centre when I drove past, I decided to drop in on the way back from having dropped Dawn off in Weymouth, to see what was about.
With High Water just turning, there were a lot of the gulls and geese were right up next to the visitors centre, and I was thinking the birders had seen a rare gull or something. However it soon became apparent, that the large group of birders were a party from a Salisbury Bird Club, on a day out to Portland.
However it was good to see Mediterranean Gulls and Brent Geese up close, but this was soon spoilt when a dog owner let his Alsatian off the lead and it promptly chased after a ball, which the owner had thrown into The Fleet. Consequently the gulls and geese took off and moved well away from the centre.
There are signs all around the centre telling dog owners to keep their dogs on leads or at least under control. Sadly it seems some people either can't read plain English or are just plain ignorant. Probably both. At least Ted was on his lead!!!
Other than the displaced gulls and geese, there were 3 Skylarks in the car park, with a male displaying on the ground to a presumed female. Quite bizarre watching it running about with its wings out and crest raised. If it was a female, she wasn't too impressed and flew off with the male and the third bird.
Birds Recorded:
Cormorant
Brent Goose
Kestrel
2 Oystercatcher
Black-headed Gull
Mediterranean Gull
Herring Gull
3 Skylark
2 Pied Wagtail
Magpie
Carrion Crow
A mixture of Brent Geese, Black-headed Gulls and Mediterranean Gulls.
A Black-headed Gull almost in its Summer plumage.
This is a 1st Winter Mediterranean Gull
A male Skylark displaying to this..........
..............presumed female. Though whatever sex it is, its not impressed.
The male displaying just before they both took off.
General Shots
