Black-headed Gulls

Black-headed Gulls at East India Dock Basin, June 2011.

A summer build-up of mainly first-summer birds has

become a feature of recent years.

There is usually not an awful lot to see on the patch in June, I was hoping that the two pairs of Shelduck that have oversummered might have produced young, both pairs were present but no chicks were evident; other wildfowl included two Mute Swans, 112 Mallard including two newly hatched ducklings and 20 Tufted Duck, but no sign of the two Portuguese birds. At least 190 Black-headed Gulls were at the basin, most of these were non-breeding first-summer birds. A pair of Common Terns were on one of the rafts but I could not see any chicks, three others passed over the basin and were seen off by the resident pair. A Kestrel was intently hunting over the ecology park and one adult Little Ringed Plover was still in the area. Three Reed Warblers were singing along with two Blackcaps and a common Whitethroat; at least six Sand Martins were hawking over the basin and finally two House Martins over Bow Creek, the almost constant presence of this species hints strongly at local breeding.