strange birding experience

[Bambi]

Yesterday I went to South Walney Nature Reserve in Cumbria (as seen on Nature's Calender) with my parents. To be honest, it was one of the most strange experiences of my life! It was a lovely place, loads and loads of butterflies, saw some seals (that really made my holiday), but what made the experience so weird were all the Herring Gulls. There were thousands (and I'm not exagerating)! I can't believe that we went in low season, as there were so many bird. We were advised to wave sticks above our heads to minimise the chance of being attacked bij protective parent gulls. So not only were we surrounded by 30000 threatening birds, which were screeching so loadly that we didn't hear the Red Arrows fly over, we also came across other visitors looking incredibly silly and embarassed waving their sticks above their heads! At other times in the year excepting the gulls, the pools attract waders, redbreasted mergansers and goldeneye.
I must say it is a must visite just for the experience alone, regardless if you are in to birds or not. But if you do want to see the seals it is advisable to check when the tide will be in as that's when they are there!

Bambi

[ChrisJB]

There is a Hudsonian Whimbrel in the vicinity at the moment too.

Regards, Chris