Kittiwakes!

Hello

A day of heavy rain and strong northerly winds made it a difficult day for birding away from immediate cover.

In the swirling wet weather this morning a flock of about sixty Fieldfares were in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton, the first ones we have noted this autumn.

This afternoon  a flock of 15 Kittiwakes were near the dam at Pitsford Res. One of these birds quickly flew off leaving the 14 birds with other gulls on the water. At about 5pm more birds arrived and the total went up to 17, followed by a succession of others. The most I was able to count at any one time was 20 birds, but with the difficult weather conditions and the commencement of the gull roost, it is likely there were more birds than this. When I left at about 5.55pm there were still at least 10 birds present. Examples of all three age groups were represented within this inland gathering.

Regards

Neil M