South Walney, Cumbria Wildlife Trust - 1st June 2010

Our first visit to this great nature reserve, even the rain couldn't dull the experience of walking amongst thousands of nesting Lesser-black Backed and Herring Gulls.
On the 3 mile walk around the reserve were Meadow Pipit, Skylark, Linnet, Goldfinch, Sedge Warbler, Dunnock, Swallow, Oystercatcher, Lesser-black Backed, Greater-black Backed, Herring and Black-headed Gull, Artic Tern, Shellduck, Eider, Emperor Geese, Cormorant, Brown Hare and a single Grey Seal bobing amongst the waves.
ABOVE DRAKE AND FEMALE EIDER, BELOW EMPREROR GEESE NOT NATIVE TO THIS COUNTRY BUT ESCAPED BIRDS THAT HAVE BRED ON PREVIOUS YEARS ON THE ISLAND
ABOVE NESTING LESSER BLACK BACKED GULL BELOW IN FLIGHT
ABOVE DISTANT VIEW OF A OYSTERCATCHER CHICK BELOW MEADOW PIPT
ABOVE AND BELOW A SWALLOW THAT WAS QUITE HAPPY TO SIT ON THE ROOF OF THE PAYMENT BOOTH WHILST WE PHOTOGRAPHED IT AT REASONABLY CLOSE RANGE.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm glad you had a good day and hopefully avoided most of the miserable weather down here. A nice cross-section of birds to keep you busy. Were there any terns nesting? Mike.

Derek Gallagher said...

It was raining for the first half of the walk (that fine stuf that soaks you to the skin!) but it warmed up later. The Tern arn't nesting on Walney but can be found on nearby Foulney which we are going to head up to soon.

Stuart Price said...

Walney has to be one of my fave places, I haven't been for a while though (only once in the last 20 or so years and that was 8 years ago).

Nice pics of the Eiders.............

I used to see Lesser Whitethroats sometimes in Penwortham sometimes but that habitat is all gone now alas.....