London pipits and gulls

It felt almost untouched locally, given how long it is since I've been out and with the change of season too - a real wintery feel these days. With John A, headed to Crossness where expecting fresh mud on the foreshore was greeted by a nice high tide. The fool that I am, for some reason, meant that I'd read last weekend's tide times so was a full cycle out. Not much to be done about that now we were there, and with movement limited to a dozen Fieldfares and 60 or so Black-tailed Godwits, headed round to the north side of the Thames where at least there'd be some larid action. Before we got to the gulls, though, on the saltmarsh by the stone barges was a nice, vocal Water Pipit: -

In amongst all the gulls on the tip, I managed to pick out a rather smart 1st-winter Caspian Gull, presumably a female and unfortunately rather distantly: -

Hopefully the first of many this winter season! There were also 3 Yellow-legged Gulls present, and with them tipping on the river side, the views of the gulls aren't too bad from the footpath east of the stone barges currently.

Only other news from this week is a Cormorant I saw before school on Tuesday - a ringed individual 'EBY' - being able to read the metal ring which included 'STONIA', it was no surprise to hear that it was ringed as a nestling on the small islet Vesitükimaa, Saare maakond, Estonia on 3rd July 2011. Nice.