5 - naurulokki

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The entertainment never stops! Yet another entry in this unique unmissable series on 'Finnish names for utterly ordinary birds'! Here's another temporary visitor to the pond up the hill. Except for a handful of mallards and moorhens, the pond is just a pitstop for birds having a short rest on their way to somewhere else. This one is known as the naurulokki in Finland, which sounds like it means 'laughing gull'. It's common, with 80,000-130,000 pairs there. It's Latin name is larus ridibundus, known in Britain as the black headed gull.

Like the others I've recently featured, it's probably already gone. But past experience suggests there'll be more now and again, as the summer goes on. Who knows what else will turn up? As far as overall bird numbers is concerned, that's down to available food, and there won't be much until the fishermen return, the pond is restocked, people in general start feeding the ducks again and also the reeds make a comeback after the major cutback and clearance they've had.

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