Slow Start

Getting off to a slow start this year in terms of birds found. However, with Harlequin Duck yesterday and goldeneyes today we make up with quality what we lose in quantity.

We went to Gravesend Bay this morning despite the bitter, windy conditions to try to find the Mew Gull that's been hanging around for the last week or so. It was a long shot, I knew. When we arrived we met one other birder bundled up to the point where only his nose stuck out of his winter gear...he'd been there 2 hours with no luck and told us others had been there earlier with the same non-result, so I wasn't surprised when we struck out. But the very close looks of the handsome male goldeneyes I took as the consolation prize.

Gravesend Bay

Number of species:     8

Brant     100

American Black Duck     1

Bufflehead     2

Common Goldeneye     4

Red-breasted Merganser     1

Ring-billed Gull     50

Herring Gull     1

Rock Pigeon     9