It's that time of year again when the Black-headed Gull chicks are starting to appear. If you haven't visited Brownsea, then there are two hides with a set of islands in front of them which are packed out with breeding Black-headed Gulls, Sandwich and Common Terns. The Black-headed Gulls have probably spent the Winter locally and are first to occupy nesting sites on the islands. In contrast, most of the Sandwich Terns have to fly from West Africa, albeit a handful now Winter locally, with the Common Terns travelling up from Southern Africa. Consequently, the Black-headed Gull chicks appear first. The DWT wardens had seen the first Black-headed Gull chicks almost a week before, but this was my first visit since they had appeared. Despite the rain, these two chicks were keen to experience the outdoors.
The Black-headed Gull and Tern chicks are always popular with the volunteers and visitors alike.