Keeping It Simple

With a couple of hours spare yesterday afternoon, the question was where to spend them. The dry, sunny weather almost certainly meant that the Seaton Wetlands would be too busy for my liking, so I tried something I haven't done for many years...

A stroll along the shore of the Axe Estuary almost guarantees solitude, and so it proved. Though cars passed along the elevated Axmouth Road a few yards away beyond the riverside bushes, I didn't see another soul. Perfect. My plan was to seek out colour-rings. I found four: two Black-headed Gulls, plus single Great Black-backed and Herring Gull. Unfortunately a combination of distance and glaring light made all but the latter unreadable, and even that one was hard to pin down to colour...

Red? Orange? T=Y

I wasn't expecting any noteworthy gulls other than maybe a Med Gull or two, so was pleasantly surprised to come across a really nice first-winter Caspian Gull in the last of the afternoon sunshine...

1w Caspian Gull with 1w Herring Gull. Chalk and Cheese. This Casp has beautifully plain coverts and sparsely-marked scaps. Unfortunately it didn't remain this close for long, and soon flew a fair way upriver. 

Even when partially hidden and at some range the Caspian Gull still stands out.

Yesterday's success was more than enough to make me try again this afternoon. There were far fewer gulls along the lower end of the river, but a nice bunch to pick through at Coronation Corner...

Looking upriver from the Coronation Corner viewing platform. The green-roofed building on the left is the Seaton Wetlands Tower Hide.

In December 2004 I sat more-or-less in this very spot, picking slowly through the gulls at last light in similar fashion, and found an adult Ring-billed Gull. Thankfully it appeared again for me and others the next day. The chances of repeating that trick are sadly negligible in 2025, but events like it - and countless others down the years - highlight the potential rewards to be had from a bit of effort with gulls. Who knows what delights might be tucked away in a gang like that lot in the photo above? Even without the rarity carrot, there will always be something of interest, from colour-rings to...well...all sorts...

One of just two Med Gulls.

Leucistic 1w Black-headed Gull.

With such limited scapular moult, a young Common Gull from northern latitudes maybe?

Four Brent Geese put in a brief appearance just before dusk. An unusual sight on the Axe.

Those Brent Geese remind me...

Around midday we were heading home after a Seaton seafront walk with friends, and stopped briefly to check the upper estuary marshes for some Barnacle Geese reported earlier by Steve. A bit of an Axe rarity...

13 Barnacle Geese and 5 Brents. At least the latter will be genuinely wild, and it would be nice to think the Barnies are too.

We've just had some chilly NE winds from the Continent which brought an influx of grey geese - especially White-fronts - into the country. Certainly, White-fronted or Bean Geese carry that magical whiff of wild Arctic tundra with them, but sadly I never quite get that vibe from Barnacle Geese in southern England, even when they come with the 'right' weather. Too many feral birds everywhere, including the Continent.

The view south after sunset.

So, a couple of nice afternoon walks in pleasant surroundings and total solitude, and some lovely rewards from a careful bit of gull sifting. What's not to like?

Keeping it simple.