Baiter Terns re-visited

Windy conditions again meant that the Sandwich Terns were back on the grass.

First year bird with dark primaries and dark centres to tertials.

This bird was begging to the bird on the right for quite some time.

One would assume it was one of its parents but the shot below shows the bird to have dark in the tail.

I was lead to believe that adult birds have white tails. Is this really another 1st year bird born in the same summer, what about a second year?? Or is it an adult that has developed dark in the tail as part of its winter plumage like American Sandwich Tern.

The question I suppose is would a young bird single out an unrelated bird to beg to that isnt its parent? If they dont then this would make it an adult bird with dark in the tail which is interesting.

It would be interesting to know if adult sandvicensis can develop dusky areas in the tail in winter as there have been quite a few birds at Baiter that would easily pass as adult winters however checking back through all the photos nearly all have shown some sort of dark markings in the tail.

Below is a bird with one completely white outer tail feather and one with a dark mark.

Confiding Brent feeding on its own near the beach

On the beach

Sandbanks

Dunlins roosting on one of the groynes

Bit choppy out there

There were at least 7 Purple Sands mostly just keeping out of the wind. One or two did pop their heads up briefly

Baiter Terns

Baiter certainly seems to attract its fair share of birds in inclement weather. Today the loafing Gulls were joined by five Sandwich Terns sitting out the very strong winds although for a change it was sunny.

Three of the five Terns

The bird below shows more extensive yellow in the bill including along the cutting edges. It also had bright yellow primary shafts.

This bird is just completing its primary moult with both P10s only half grown. You can also make out dark on the outer tail.

Close up of bill and wings. P9 has a particularly striking yellow primary shaft

A different bird here. With the white tail presumably an adult

Below is the same bird with what appears to be thin white edgings on the inner webs, apparently a diagnostic feature of acuflavida American Sandwich Tern!

This shows the pattern a bit better. Here the white edgings on the inner webs of the outer most four primaries stop before they get to the outer web, rendering half of the wing tip grey. On sandvicensis (next pic) the white should continue to the outer web to form a white 'hook' rendering the wing tip white.

The white edgings are clearly broader on this sandvicensis and hook over the outer web

The problem is that the bill and head pattern is completetly wrong for acuflavida which show a much broader based dagger bill and strong contrast between an almost pure white forehead and unflecked black area.

So it isnt an acuflavida. The only thing I can think of is that it could actually be an immature bird which do show thinner edges to the primaries, although the all white tail doesnt fit. On the shot below one can see dark centres to the secondaries which is a feature of younger birds. (But also a feature of adult acuflavida)

This one is definitely a first winter!

Couple of Brents coming in to land

Old Harry

On Corvid duty this morning. Out to Old Harry to see if anything was moving. Arrived at around 08.30 and was greeted by 4 Redpoll moving west.

Quite early on a Peregrine flypast. Click on pic to see more than one generation of coverts

This was followed later by a Juv. Similar markings but everything in brown.

Nearly everything was moving west in off the sea into the brisk westerly wind.

When making landfall many birds pitched up for a while including a pair of Brambling and a Reed Bunt which came in together

Another brief visitor was a Black Redstart which quickly made its way west. A Great Spotted Woodpecker also came down. I wasnt looking at the time but when looked up it appeared to be taking off from the cliff edge before moving west.

Fishing Shags

Vociferous Geeb

This Rock Pipit wasnt bothered by my presence. At one point coming too close to be photographed

Carrion Crow

Redhorn Quay

Record shot of Red-throated Diver off Redhorn Quay. Really must get a decent coolpix/scope set up. Also female Eider about but even further away than this

Seemed to be associating with this GCG

Still together

A windy Poole

Brents being flushed at Baiter

Cormorant holding on at a very rough Poole Park

Knoll beach Med

Ballard Down

Carrion Crows on Carrion. This one with antlers

Buzzard briefly muscles in before being persuaded to leave

Yellowhammer moving west

Firey Crest

Grey Seal

Diagnostic parallel nostrils