Otterspool promenade used to be great for gulls, then they went and "did it up" with a kids playground, an outdoor adventure park, an 'exercise trail' and other tat to attract in visitors. The result was a sharp increase in the number of dog-walkers, joggers and families, and a corresponding drop in the number of gulls that use the prom. Today was — despite the miserable weather — no exception; there was a group of kite enthusiasts, a collection of mutts and their owners, and a child having a kickabout with his dad. There were only about a dozen gulls along the whole length of the promenade; but, to my surprise, those dozen gulls contained a single adult Mediterranean Gull. Some dog-walkers did me a favour and flushed it to within metres of the car.
I was regretting leaving my D-SLR at home, though I did have a clever little gadget that I'd found whilst clearing out under my bed. One of these:
It clips on to one of the eye-relief cups and holds the compact-camera lens snugly and firmly onto my binoculars; and, I have to say, it makes digibinning a whole lot easier.
The first bird flew off so I drove back along the prom to find the kite enthusiasts had packed up for the day and about 30 Black-headed Gulls had flown in; amongst them, another three adult Med Gulls.
Bird 2
Bird 3
Bird 4
And a quick look on the playing field at the same time revealed another three birds! It looked like one of them was the same individual as the first one I'd seen, but nevertheless that meant there were at least six Med Gulls present amongst only 100 of so Black-headed Gulls (and one Common Gull and one Herring Gull) — a good ratio!
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