Despite the gale-force winds today, managed to get out to Strangford Lough, and spotted the first GPS collared bird (see earlier blog items) of the season, 27ON (Orange/Black(Noir)), at the Maltings. All the birds were struggling to stand up, so I was unable to observe much on its behaviour. Interestingly, also present was the leucistic brent which had been observed last winter, which has a pale back - looks a real oddity!
It was nice to note today that five out of the seventeen ringed birds read had broods of between three and five young trailing after them!!
A couple more reports have come in of first sightings - one of four birds at Killough Harbour yesterday, from Owen Hegarty, and another of seven today at the Gann Estuary, Pembrokeshire from Derek Grimwood.
I had a long distance sighting of an Orange/black ringed Pale bellied Brent at Lahinch Rivermouth ,Clare, Ireland on the 10th sept
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for that observation. Orange/Black is one of our more recent colour combinations. Only some of these have been fitted with the GPS collars, so I have no way of telling whether this was one of them.
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