YLG

First-winter Yellow-legged Gull - Mudbank. I have to admit to feeling a little uneasy about the identification of this bird. As most features seem a good fit (scapulars, tail, inner primaries etc) I suspect it is one, but the nature and extent of head streaking is more than I'm accustomed to, and the tertials a little too worn to get the exact patterning.

Enjoyable birding this morning, from 0700 - 0910, in beautiful clear conditions, with the cool, fresh north-westerly continuing. Most interesting sighting was four Coal Tits that dropped out of the sky into clifftop scrub, before hurriedly moving on. Otherwise this morning's totals included 100+ Meadow Pipit (with much higher, uncounted flocks presumed to be this species too), 28+ Siskin, 4+ Skylark, 6+ Goldfinch, 1 Greenfinch, 11+ Chaffinch, 95+  Pied Wagtail, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Grey Wagtail, 2 Wheatear, 1 Whinchat, 4 Stonechat, 1 Snipe, 14+ Swallow, 37+ House Martin, c100/150+ hirundine sp, 7 Chiffchaff, 1 Goldcrest, 11+ Starling, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 adult Mediterranean Gull, c50+ Black-headed Gull, 1 Kestrel, 1 Peregrine, and 1 Sparrowhawk. The 42 Linnets logged all seemed to be moving east, in the opposite direction to everything else! 

Off Mudbank the Brent Goose flock has increased to 150 birds, at least 16 of which were Pale-bellied birds. On the wader front - 1 Grey Plover, 3 Greenshank, 3+ Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Ringed Plover, 3 Dunlin, 2 Whimbrel and a Bar-tailed Godwit.

Black-tailed Godwits - Mudbank.