Moor-ooned?

The Gannet on The Mere tonight - John Hewitt

The main news from the Old Moor area today was this near adult Gannet which was found on The Mere early morning and was still present when I left at 19.50. Dave Waddington who saw Friday's bird which flew through Bolton Ings is of the opinion that is the the same individual. If so where has it been? Still we kept losing a Spoonbill and getting it back for a long time before we found out where it was going, so who knows? Many people have commented that this bird looks like it is dying as it spends much of its time with its head tucked in and seemingly doing nothing, though who can blame it the way the 'Black-heads' are dive-bombing it. Whilst it wouldn't shock me if it does die on us, I can recall several instances of seabirds stranded inland that looked like they were dying, only to suddenly fly off strongly. Here's hoping! There have been ten records of Gannet in the Old Moor area prior to this year, but it wasn't until the one on Bolton Ings on 27th and 28th September 2011 that one was actually 'twitchable'. The other main news was of a pair of Garganey on Bolton Ings. Full details will presumably follow later from the Barnsley Blade.

The Gannet on The Mere tonight - John Hewitt