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Back at Shawell
Four Caspian Gulls at Shawell this week: two adults and a couple of first-winters. One of the first-winters was a German colour-ringed bird. It was ringed at Grabendorfer See - a large lake near...
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A Paler Shade of Grey
Since arriving back from Portugal I have had a few successful trips to Shawell, but it has been quite hard work. Why? Well here's the list: men with guns, men with dogs, buzzards, cormorants, herons,...
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American Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus)
I checked Facebook's Western Palearctic Gull Group this morning to see if I had any comments on a selection of photos I had posted. Staring back at me was a gull that I was very familiar with and it...
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Dusky Thrush
As you might know, a first-winter Dusky Thrush was discovered in Derbyshire earlier this week. Large crowds gathered and the TV cameras arrived. I had been very busy one way or another mid-week, so I...
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A Damp December Day at Shawell
Did it get light today? Very difficult conditions.The gulls are a bit unpredictable at present - maybe the mild weather. The lagoons were the best spot until a buzzard came a hunting.A first-winter...
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Caspian Gulls and Other Stuff
Today was another dull day at Shawell, but the sun was shinning when I called in for my lunch break mid-week. Whilst I was eating my sandwiches the gulls were enjoying a splash about. One of the...
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Merry Christmas
Wishing Everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year - thanks for visiting my blog during 2016.
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Shawell Again
Since my last update I have visited Shawell a few more times. One of the highlights for me is welcoming back returning colour-ringed gulls. The Herring Gull pictured below returned to Shawell on...
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Surf Scoter at Rutland Water
On Tuesday an immature scoter was spotted off the dam at Rutland Water. Its identity was revealed when it wing flapped and showed plain brown wings. Velvet Scoters have a white wing panel, so this bird...
View ArticleMore From Shawell
Since January 1st I have visited Shawell a few times, as I'm sure you've already guessed. No white-winger yet, but there's loads of time.The gull numbers are building up well. c6000 Black-headed Gulls...
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Yellow-legged Gulls (Larus michahellis)
Since 2013 I have been studying and photographing Yellow-legged Gulls at Portimao, which is in southern Portugal. The fish harbour there attracts many gulls and they are generally quite confiding and...
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Glaucous Gull
It was blowing a gale today when I stopped off at Shawell on my way to Northampton. Most of the gulls were hunkered down in a field very close to the village. I stopped briefly and managed to spot a...
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A Trip to Romania to See Some Caspian Gulls
The challenge of identifying Caspian Gulls is understanding how variable they can be and understanding features that may be OK but could also be a result of hybridisation. The problems is that they are...
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Romanian Caspian Gull Gallery
I'm really pleased with the results from my trip to Bucharest. It was very educational, especially as I was able to study the behaviour of the Caspian Gulls in their natural domain. Unlike in England...
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Glaucous and Iceland Gull at Shawell
This morning didn't start to plan, as I was expecting sunshine not fog.Nevertheless I set off to Shawell. The gulls were obviously lost in the fog somewhere, as there were none in the sand quarry....
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Visitors From the Arctic
I had a bit of time of work today and as usual I went over to Shawell. This winter has proven to be good for white-winged gulls, but they are not the only gulls that visit us from the Arctic in winter....
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Glaucous Gull Again
I returned to Shawell this morning and the juvenile Glaucous Gull I saw yesterday was once again in the sand quarry off Gibbett Lane. Many of the gulls were on the east side of the landfill site...
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White-Wingers at Shawell During My Watch - 2012 to Present Day.
White-wingers (Iceland and Glaucous Gulls) are the highlight of the cold winter months for any gull watcher prepared to suffer the cold. Below is an account of all the denizens of the frozen Arctic...
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Another Good session at Shawell
What a beautiful day - excellent visibility, blue skies and very little wind.This morning thousands of gulls were loafing around in the sand quarry. Amongst them were four Caspian Gulls and a splendid...
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First-winter Caspian Gull Influx
So far this month I have seen at least eight different first-winter Caspian Gulls at Shawell. It is interesting that Caspian Gulls seem to arrive in small groups of the same age. Below are a selection...
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