Monday 28 May 2012

GREY PLOVER at Alvecote Pools

After thirty-odd years of working my local patch I have only ever had the odd brief, fly through Grey Plover and all of those sightings have come from the Staffordshire side of the complex.  I was therefore thrilled to bits to hear one call this morning whilst scanning Mill Pool and even more excited when the bird, a magnificent summer-plumaged individual dropped down to feed on the tiny exposed spit. After initially becoming the victim of a bit of Lapwing bullying the bird managed to hold its own and settle down for the day.

Grey Plover - Mill Pool, Alvecote Pools SSSI, Warwickshire
Photo by Adam Archer 

After spending most of the day feeding on and off around the sandy spit on Mill Pool the bird eventually got pushed off by a group of Black-headed Gulls early this evening. It then fed around the grassy margins of the same pool until I left the site at around 8.30pm.  It was great to enjoy the bird to the maximum whilst being drenched in the warm, spring sunshine.

Grey Plover - Mill Pool, Alvecote Pools SSSI, Warwickshire
Photo by Adam Archer 

The only disappointment of the day was missing an Osprey pass through whilst I was having my lunch at about 2.30pm.  Other highlights however included another batch of Lapwing chicks around Teal Pool and a Ringed Plover and a single Common Sandpiper again around Mill Pool.

Lapwing - Teal Pool, Alvecote Pools SSSI, Warwickshire
Photo by Adam Archer
Ringed Plover - Mill Pool, Alvecote Pools, Warwickshire
Photo by Adam Archer

2 comments:

  1. 2.30 is more 'high tea' than lunch. Get your comestible terminology correct in future please... The Grey Plover is a reight cracker and deserves its place in anybodies top 20 sexy birds list.

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