West Cumbrian Mediterranean Gulls today ... showing their diverse forms ...

The Workington area of West Cumbria has been the focus of autumn and wintering Mediterranean Gulls for over a decade but in the last few years numbers in autumn have far exceeded the handful of birds that previously occurred ...

Today I counted 74 but that is certainly a conservative count ... most (57) were adults but there were also at least 12 juv/ 1st W and  5  2nd W birds present ...

At least two carried Darvic colour rings ... this adult with a white ring ...

... juveniles can be strikingly attractive but this bird has started its moult into 1st winter ...

... another adult carried a yellow Darvic ...

... some bill colours were interesting as with this adult showing a lot of yellow rather than red ...

... and this 2ndW showed a distinctly orange bill ...

... and this 2nd S > W had a particuarly complex bill pattern ...

... and a 2nd W with a distinctly yellow bill ...

... most of these birds originate from the near Continent, from colonies in N Germany, Belgium, France and Holland ... many then winter in the Iberian peninsula before returning directly to their Continental breeding areas ...

mostly birds and words ... Sam Northwood's new edition ...

It's been some little while since I wrote a book review on this blog but it is something I do rather enjoy ... and when this book came out I was motivated to share my thoughts about it ...

The book is succinctly described below the title on the cover and when you open the book it becomes  apparent that the photographs are of exceptional quality ... but beyond their straightforward quality lies an aesthetic value that comes from the way that they are presented.

Some of the photos carry detail that is rarely seen ...

... but beyond that they evoke a deep sense of the bird ... this Grey Heron is just one example (the text looks wavy here as I didn't want to press the book flat) ... the words accompanying the photos are crafted to enhance the sense of the wild experience that comes from watching these wonderful creatures ...

It is worth mentioning that most of the species photographed are shy and difficult to approach as many frequent the wide open spaces of the Solway ... often it is difficult to see these birds well, let alone take good photographs of them ...

What comes across most powerfully in looking through the book is the pure sense of pleasure that Sam derives from simply watching these wild birds and absorbing their every detail and movement ... the book celebrates the essence of that pure pleasure ...

... as is the case with this Short-eared Owl, having a smaller image of the bird can evoke the strong sense of its presence within the habitat ...

For the second year running Sam has contributed photographs to the Cumbria County Wildlife Report ... Birds and Wildlife in Cumbria 2020 ...

He also produces calendars and framed prints of his photos ... you can contact him at  samalij@aol.com

 

Birdsong still in full flow in the North Pennines ...

 It has long been held that birdsong is all but finished by this time of the year ... Grasshopper Warblers have been described as becoming night-singers only by July ...

And yet in Spadeadam Forest at around 220m asl one was singing and displaying actively in the late morning ...

... the bird came into view surprisingly well as it emerged in a patch of Marsh Thistles ...

... and then some display ...

... with a cocked tail and wing-fluttering ...

... before continuing prolonged song ...

Crossbills were also singing well ... although always distantly in only the tallest treetops ...

... and not far away on the Geltsdale Reserve several Sedge Warblers and Reed Buntings still sang ...