I started Christmas Eve at Newhaven Harbour where a first-winter Caspian Gull was seen for a short time on the beach before flying out to sea. As the tide came in the Great Northern Diver appeared and showed well. Afterwards I checked the Cuckmere and viewed from Harry's Bush the largest Gull flock seemed to be north of Exeat bridge, so I made my way around and through the bins I could see a third-winter Caspian Gull in the group. Despite other flocks about I couldn't find anything else.
To get away from the Gulls, I walked up to Charleston Bottom and was very pleased to see the two Hawfinches that Nick Pope found here a few weeks ago. One male showed off its conk of a bill rather well.
On Wednesday morning I was in Madrid with work and my usual area I look at produced a handful of Crested Larks, a Short-toed Treecreeper and a Hawfinch being the highlights.
On Monday with Dad we visited West Rise Marsh and found at least two Water Pipits and a good candidate for a Scandinavian Rock Pipit, and at Princes Park the Slavonian Grebe was still present.
Happy Christmas!!
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these first two images with my proper camera but still of very bad quality.
First-winter Caspian Gull centre shot.
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When I first set eyes on it I suspected some sort of hybrid influence, however
getting the scope on it a full suit of features materialised, with just the coverts
being slightly suspect, although in flight looked good.
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This advanced third-winter Caspian Gull in the Cuckmere was more
straight-forward. I did consider a fourth-winter but with no mirror on P9
and some black in the tail and brown around the carpel I was happy with a
third-winter. Not seen in these images but it revealed a white tip to P5 with a
solid black sub-terminal band.
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| superb Hawfinch at Charleston Bottom |
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| Charleston Bottom - the Hawfinches liking the tall trees on the left |
