A Bit Of A Mixed Day

A female Blackbird in the garden this morning feeding on apples I put out two weeks ago. Its taken until now for the apples to "mature" to be appetising enough for them to eat it.

Its taken two weeks for the apples to "break down"...

.......to appetising enough for this female Blackbird to eat.

She is definitely enjoying it........

And even called out to thank me!

A little later a Red Kite came over the estate for the 2nd time this week. That I've seen that is.

This one seems to have one possibly two primary feathers missing or just misaligned!

A Red Kite over the estate which didn't go unnoticed...........

...........by the local Carrion Crow that mobbed it until the Crow was happy it was leaving.

The Kite then carried on heading off..........

towards Covingham.......

And hoping that it would find something below to scavenge....

Unfortunately another Carrion Crow was on his case, and seemed to be enjoying a bit of synchronised flying, before it had enough and started mobbing the Kite.

The sad news today was that opposite Wickes on the waste ground there (originally water/oil storage tanks. I'm not sure!), there used to be an excellent pool of water for the gulls to bathe in. That was until today, its all gone, buried under tons of shale. Such a shame, as potentially this would have been a wonderful place to see Yellow-legged Gulls.
Today I watched dozens of  gulls come down to bathe, only for them to realise that the water had gone. Not only will they have to find another bathing pool but I shall have to as well. To watch them bathing that is!

The images below were taken on 11 Jan 15 before it was filled in.

The Pool as it was on 11 Jan 15

A great place to watch Lesser Black-backed Gulls close up............

...........and Herring Gulls as they........

cleaned and preened themselves.....

and then got themselves ready to.............

.................fly off before the next..........

.....pair came in, followed.......

..........by other adults including 1st winters.

This one was quite at home in amongst............

............the adults.

Not a Herring Gull but a juvenile.........

Black-headed Gull moulting into 1st winter.

This however is an adult Black-headed Gull, which is was just starting to get his summer plumage. The amount of *black on the head would normally be a lot less than this in winter.

* Note: The head colouring is actual dark brown, but as there is already a  Brown-headed Gull I guess it would have been confusing.