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Glaucous Gull Video

February 21, 2016, 7:59 am
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Due to the distance I am from the gulls at Shawell it is often easiest to video the gulls through my scope. Below is a short video of the juvenile Glaucous Gull that was at the A5 Lagoons yesterday morning.


Best watched in HD format. You may have to change the quality by clicking on settings.
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Cairngorms

March 7, 2016, 1:08 pm
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I've just returned from a trip to Aviemore and the Cairngorm National Park. Early on in the trip the weather was perfect - cold and crisp underfoot. I managed to add a few more Ptarmigan images to my collection. The perfect weather didn't last, but even so I had a good time in one of my favourite places.

Male Ptarmigan

Female Ptarmigan

Male Ptarmigan

Male Ptarmigan
Cairngorms

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A Few More Images from Scotland

March 9, 2016, 12:53 pm
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Below are some more images from my recent trip to Scotland:

Pale-bellied Brent Goose

Bar-tailed Godwit, Nairn
Purple Sandpiper, Burghead
Red Squirrel
A Cold Looking Findhorn Valley
Eurofighter, Lossiemouth 

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Hungarian Colour-Ringed Mediterranean Gull at Shawell

March 15, 2016, 12:47 pm
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My return to Shawell on Saturday proved to be a productive affair. I have missed reading three previous Mediterranean Gull colour-rings, so an opportunity to successfully read another was one not to be messed up. The problem is that the colour-rings fitted to the smaller species are tiny compared to those fitted to larger gulls. Conditions need to be perfect to read the small rings. The extra 10x magnification that my new scope give me helps.

Anyway there was a large gathering of Black-headed Gulls at the A5 Lagoons - around 4000 of them. I was hoping that they may have brought with them at least one Med Gull. Straight off I spotted a Black-headed Gull with a Polish colour-ring, which was a good start. As I worked through the gulls I found an adult Med Gull buried amongst the flock. The gulls did a shuffle round, which allowed me to see more of it and I could see it had a red colour-ring.

The code was not easy to read due to the position the ring was in, but eventually I read it. It was H9A4 and my research at home revealed that it was ringed in Hungary. I sent off the details and this morning I received confirmation that I had read the code correctly. It had been ringed at its nest site in Hungary in 2013 just prior to it fledging.

I didn't get a photo of it on the shore as it was always partially hidden, but I re-found it later on the water.

Interestingly the only other sighting of this bird is from Topsham, Devon in November 2014.

Adult Mediterranean Gull (H9A4)

Ringing Location of H9A4

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Iceland Gull at Shawell

March 16, 2016, 2:57 pm
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I called in at the A5 Lagoons this afternoon for a quick look and a juvenile Iceland Gull was on top of the bank between the two lagoons. I grabbed my camera and started videoing. Once I finished I checked the recording and for some reason the video hadn't saved. While I messed about with the camera the Iceland Gull disappeared!

It was a memory card that I'd previously tried in my new camera and it didn't work right. Today I was using my old camera that has never let me down before and neither has the memory card, so I'm not best pleased.

This juvenile was a uniform tea colour - all its markings had faded. Its eyes were dark, so it is a juvenile.

Hopefully I'll catch up with it again.

There's still lots of gulls at the site at present. There has been a large arrival of Black-headed and Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Caspian Gulls are quite scarce at present although a first-winter was present last Saturday.

First-Winter Caspian Gull



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Iceland Gull - Take Two

March 17, 2016, 1:03 pm
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I'm not one to be beaten, so I started work early and worked through my lunch break, so I could get over to Shawell again. I was of course trying for a photo of yesterday's Iceland Gull.

There were lots of gulls at the lagoons and while I waited for my target bird a smart adult Med Gull entertained me. This was an un-ringed bird so the second Med Gull in a week.

Ken Reeves arrived, which added a second pair of eyes to the party. Whilst I was reading a colour-ring, Ken spotted the Iceland Gull on the bank. It was the same one was as yesterday and luckily it wasn't in a rush today and my camera worked!

Juvenile Iceland Gull, Shawell A5 Lagoons
After Ken left a first-winter Caspian Gull arrived. I spotted it in flight and as it was quite active I managed to get some flight shots of it - always a challenge when using a scope for a lens.

First-Winter Caspian Gull
First-Winter Caspian Gull
First-Winter Caspian Gull
First-Winter Caspian Gull

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A Review of the Gulls at Shawell During 2015

March 20, 2016, 1:35 pm
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2015 was another good year at Shawell, with the landfill site continuing to attract many thousands of gulls to the area. 

Most birders stop looking for gulls during the summer months, but summer can actually be one of the most productive times. A first-summer Baltic Gull at Cotesbach landfill site in early July (subject to acceptance) was the highlight for me. Once again the eagerly awaited influx of juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls occurred in July. 


My sightings of Mediterranean Gulls increased during 2015, but sadly I failed to read colour-rings fitted to two of them

Caspian Gulls continued to entertain and frustrate me in equal measures throughout the year. The mixed colonies of 'Large White Headed Gulls' in Germany produce some hybrids that can be challenging when they turn up at Shawell. The regular Polish ringed Caspian Gull PADZ was back in Leicestershire again this year favouring Shawell in January and again in August. PADZ moves between  Shawell and Albert Village in the north-west of the county.


Species Accounts:

Black-headed Gull    Chroiccocephalus ridibundus

Present throughout the year with numbers peaking as usual in late-winter.

16 colour-ringed birds were recorded. Several from Poland and one from both Latvia and Lithuania.


Mediterranean Gull    Larus melanocephalus

A good year with my best annual total so far. 
  • Adult, near summer plumage, February 17th (un-ringed)
  • Adult, summer-plumage, February 25th (Polish colour-ring)
  • Adult, near summer-plumage, March 14th (un-ringed)
  • Second-winter, March 14th (un-ringed)
  • Adult, full summer-plumage, March 18th (Polish colour-ring, different to one on February 25th)
  • Two adults, summer plumage, July 4th (one had a metal BTO type ring)
  • Juvenile, July 11th (un-ringed)



Common Gull    Larus canus

As normal this species is present throughout the year, but in small numbers. 

Just two colour-ringed birds were recorded, one ringed by the North Thames Gull Group and the regular Norwegian bird (JEJ8), which was first seen at Shawell in February 2011.

Lesser Black-backed Gull    Larus fuscus

This is the most numerous gull species throughout much of the year apart from mid-winter when numbers drop as low as 300. However, during migration times and even in mid-summer counts of around 2000 are not unusual.

The majority of colour-ringed gulls are of this species. In 2015 I read 184 new colour-rings plus many re-reads of colour-rings I'd seen in previous years. A second-calendar year bird, ringed in Denmark, was at Cotesbach landfill on July 25th and the next day I saw it on top of the roof of Casepak recycle centre in Leicester.

Baltic Gull Larus fuscus fuscus 

  • July 11th, first-summer Cotesbach Landfill.
During a session at the landfill site I spotted a really distinctive gull. Realising that it had nice fresh looking 'tar black' primaries quickly focused my attention. First-summer Baltic Gulls time their moult differently to first-summer Lesser Black-backed Gulls. During the summer second calendar-year LBBGs have worn and faded primaries with maybe a few either missing or re-growing. Basically first-summer LBBGs look scruffy. This bird has fresh looking primaries, new third generation tertials, many new scapulars and median coverts. It is also moulting some of its greater coverts and its underparts are clean white. Add this to its general structure and I think it is a good candidate. Many others agreed and so I have submitted it to the BBRC. First-summer Baltic Gull are identifiable based on moult timing according to a recent study.


First-Summer Baltic Gull (subject to acceptance by the BBRC)
  • August 30th, Adult at both Cotesbach Landfill and Shawell A5 Lagoons
I first spotted a very black looking Larus fuscus at the landfill site, but one of the machine drivers drove in front of it and started working. This disturbed the gulls and they flew to a distant part of the quarry. Luckily I picked it up during the afternoon at the A5 Lagoons and enjoyed prolonged views. Its plumage was spot on for the nominate form of Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus fuscus), or Baltic Gull. It small elegant body and long wings are good for this sub-species as well. Without a colour-ring it is best to say it is a gull showing characters of Baltic Gull.



Presumed Baltic Gull

Herring Gull    Larus argentatus

Seen in all months with numbers peaking in late December. The highest count was c3000.

I recorded 33 colour-ringed birds including two from Norway, one from Russia and the Finnish ringed adult first seen in 2014 reappeared in November this year.

Yellow-legged Gull    Larus michahellis

Seen in all month’s with the highest numbers being present during mid-summer, as usual. The highest count was 33 in the same group at the landfill site on July 29th. One of the highlights is seeing the influx of juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls during July. The first juvenile gulls to be seen are almost always of this species. 


Juvenile Yellow-legged Gull, Shawell A5 Lagoons, July 2015

Caspian Gull    Larus cachinnans

Another good year for this species. In total I saw 43 different birds. 

January seems to be the best month, however, sightings can be expected throughout the year. April and May were the only months I drew a blank. The challenge to find a juvenile in August proved difficult with the best contender possibly being a hybrid.

Understanding the variables is the challenge with many gull species and probably none more so than this one. It is all too easy to label any possible Caspian Gull with a few non-typical features as a hybrid, but care has to be taken not to jump too quickly to this conclusion. As with other gull species there is a great deal of variation between individuals, especially immature birds. Probably the best method to rule out the possibility of hybridisation is to use the 'trait scoring system'. This really requires photographs, but didgiscoped images are usually OK. For anyone interested in learning more CLICK HERE.

The colour-ringed Polish adult (yellow PADZ) that I first saw in 2014 was back during January and August. In addition a new colour-ringed Polish first-winter (red 10P6) was seen on two occasions during November.




Iceland Gull     Larus glaucoides

Just one recorded.
  • Juvenile on March 14th at the A5 Lagoons


Glaucous Gull     Larus hyperboles

Two were recorded in January. 
  • Second-winter on January 20th and 24th at both the A5 lagoons and the landfill site.

  • Third-winter on January 25th at the landfill site.


Great Black-backed Gull    Larus marinus

Seen throughout the year apart from May. Numbers are at there highest during January and December. The highest count was 650 in mid-January.

Six colour-ringed birds were recorded, all but one were ringed in Norway and the other was from Denmark.


Other Reviews:


A Complete Gulling Season at Shawell 



Review of the Gulls at Shawell During 2014









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Injured Iceland Gull

March 26, 2016, 2:43 pm
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Sadly the juvenile Iceland Gull that has been visiting Shawell recently has broken one of its wings and is unable to fly. The break looks very serious, so its chances don't look good. I tried to approach it but it took to the water and paddled off. Such a shame, but I guess that's life. I have no idea how it happened, but it must have happened at the lagoons, as there is no way it can fly.

Iceland Gull with a Broken Wing, Shawell A5 Lagoons, 26/03/16

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Welcome Home

March 27, 2016, 2:13 pm
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I went over to Rutland Water today to hopefully catch up with the long staying Long-billed Dowitcher. Luckily it was still there and showing well although it was a little distant.

Long-billed Dowitcher, Rutland Water
After finishing on the Egleton Reserve, I decided to go and look for an Osprey in Manton Bay. From the Osprey hide at the Lyndon Reserve I could see an Osprey by the nest. The volunteer in the hide told me it was the regular, un-ringed, breeding female. He also told me that her mate hadn't arrived back from Africa. The female was feeding on a fish, but all of a sudden she seemed to get excited. Yes you've guessed it, her mate blue 33 had arrived back from Africa and they both flew to the nest.

I took some video of the pair for you to enjoy...


For more information on Rutland Water's Ospreys click HERE.
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Colour-Ringed Baltic Gull at Shawell A5 Lagoons

March 29, 2016, 10:51 am
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The tip was closed during the Easter Bank Holiday, so there were fewer gulls around than normal. Despite this I still managed to read six colour-rings on Saturday. The ringed birds were all Lesser Black-backed Gulls, but one was much darker than the others and I suspected it was a Baltic Gull. My luck was in as it had a Norwegian colour-ring and it was readable - black J727. A number of features looked good for Baltic Gull, so I reported it there and then to the Norwegian website Ring Merking. I was really pleased to see it was listed as a Larus fuscus fuscus the nominate Lesser Black-backed Gull, or Baltic Gull.

It was only present for a short while and very few gulls appeared after the group it was with moved on.

The jizz is typical of many Baltic Gulls, short legged, full breasted and a long tapered rear end. Some individuals have a more elegant profile, but this one is very similar to many colour-ringed birds depicted on Gull Research Organisation. It has a white mirror on P10 only, which, although larger than some, is perfectly within the acceptable variation for Baltic Gull. The tiny white tips are typical of late winter birds - these will soon wear and disappear.

Adult Baltic Gull, Colour-Ring J727
Adult Baltic Gull, Colour-Ring J727

It was ringed as a breeding adult  in a Baltic Gull colony on an island off the north-west coast of Norway. It was ringed in Colony B at Buholmen, Sørhorsvær, Samna, Nordland, Norway. The Norwegian population of L. f. fuscus is quite small and is probably getting smaller. At the time of ringing the birds in Colony B were said to be pure fuscus. I await comments from Norway. Assuming I get the thumbs up from Norway I will submit it to the BBRC. Adult Baltic Gulls are not acceptable unless the bird is colour-ringed and the bird is known to be a genuine Baltic Gull.








Gull colour ringing in Norway (17)
Last CR-Code Black ring with white code: J727 LBNW(J727);RBM
Ringing Centre Stavanger Museum (Norway) Ring number 4207875
Species Lesser Black-backed Gull (fuscus)  Larus fuscus fuscus Determined sex F Map Map
DatePlaceCoordinatesDaysDistanceDirection
Upload picture25.06 2006Observers ad Sex (F) status Colour mark addedB Buholmen, Sørhorsvær, Sømna, Nordland, Norway65°18'26"N 011°37'30"E-------------
Upload picture20.06 2007Observersstatus Colour mark already presentB Buholmen, Sørhorsvær, Sømna, Nordland, Norway

65°18'26"N 011°37'30"E3600 Map
 Other Sightings Hidden****

Upload picture19.06 2014Observersstatus Colour mark already presentB Buholmen, Sørhorsvær, Sømna, Nordland, Norway65°18'26"N 011°37'30"E29160 Map
Upload picture02.08 2015Observersstatus Colour mark already presentC Buøya, Nordhorsvær, Sømna, Nordland, Norway65°19'06"N 011°37'51"E33251 Map
Upload picture26.03 2016Observers Colour mark already presentShawell A5 Lagoons, Leicester & Rutland, Great Britain



52°24'50"N 001°12'52"W35621606 Map
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A Little More on the Baltic Gull

April 1, 2016, 12:45 pm
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Well my post to Facebook's European Gull Group (now Western Palearctic Gull Group) about my colour-ringed Baltic Gull got some people all excited.

It became bird of the week on Birdguides; featured on RBA's highlights of the week and was well discussed on Bird Forum. Mostly with no communication with me. Chaps it was at least five years old when ringed not a chick. It would have been very much adult like and hopefully easy to identify in the hand. Overall though it was fairly accurately reported.

Though it is colour-ringed, I was more excited about the presumed first-summer Baltic Gull I found last July, but no one even raised an eyebrow over that sighting. That was, if I say so myself, a good find and could so easily have been missed. Perhaps a harder one to comment on?

The first-summer birds description is with the BBRC at present and maybe this colour-ringed adult will give support to it?

The only thing that may hinder the adult is its location, as there has been some queries about whether these Norwegian  gulls are L. f. fuscus. Well the photographs I've seen from theL. f. fuscus colonies in Norway look like Baltic Gulls. 

Eight Baltic Gulls L. f. fuscus from Horsvaer, Norway were fitted with geolocators. All of them migrated from Norway through the eastern Mediterranean and all but one ended up down in east Africa (the other stayed at the eastern end of the Med). So they ended up in the same wintering range as Finnish fuscus as far as I can see. A small number of colour-ringed L. f. fuscus have been recorded in western Europe including at least one in the UK and one in Spain (the Spanish one was ringed in Finland). 

Morten Helberg in Norway is confident that these Norwegian Baltic Gulls are OK, which has given me confidence too. We must all be careful of what we say from our armchairs and be respectful of people who are much closure to the subject.

Morten has let me have a copy of a photograph that he took of J727 at the breeding Colony. 

Baltic Gull J727, Norway - Photo by Morten Helberg
Anyway I'll leave it at that, as I'm probably boring you all by now.

I'll finish off with the video I took of the first-summer at Cotesbach landfill site in July 2015:
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Another Sighting of J727

April 2, 2016, 12:32 pm
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I wasn't expecting to see J727 again today at Shawell A5 Lagoons, but she was already there when I arrived. There was quite a gathering on the shore, so it was difficult to get a clear view of her to get more footage. Luckily she moved to the far end of the 'beach' and I managed to get a few images. 

I put the news out, but only Steve Nichols arrived in time to see her. Those arriving late, although disappointed, managed to enjoy a first-summer Caspian Gull, some colour-ringed gulls and a Red Kite. 

Baltic Gull J727 02/04/16 (ringed Sørhorsvær, Sømna, Nordland on 25/02/2006)
The Caspian Gull was very obliging, as it appeared twice more after I first found it.

First-Summer Caspian Gull, Shawell A5 Lagoons, 02/04/16



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First-Winter Caspian Gull

April 7, 2016, 12:50 pm
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In my previous post I mentioned that there was a first-summer Caspian Gull at Shawell A5 Lagoons on April 2nd, well it was still there yesterday. It is not always easy to know whether you are seeing a new gull or one you have seen before. At first I thought it was a new Caspian Gull, but after checking I feel its coverts are the same in both sets of images.

First-Winter Caspian Gull, Shawell 06/04/16

First-Winter Caspian Gull, Shawell 06/04/16

First-Winter Caspian Gull, Shawell 06/04/16

First-Winter Caspian Gull, Shawell 02/04/16

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A County Tick, a Couple of Rouzels and a Gleaming White Gull

April 9, 2016, 12:50 pm
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This morning was the first real opportunity I'd had to dash off after the Great Grey Shrike at Warren Hills. It was raining when I arrived and there was no sign of the shrike. Not long after it had stopped raining it appeared. It was a county tick for me and one to savour. The area north on the main footpath is a real migrant trap best known for attracting Ring Ouzels. This Great Grey Shrike has notched the site up to another level.

Great Grey Shrike

It was great to hear Willow Warblers announcing their arrival back in Leicestershire. Also a pair of Wheatears had stopped off at Warren Hills on their way north.

I now had a choice to make, head back towards home to look for the two male Ring Ouzels that Adey Baker had found at The Outwoods, Burbage or head towards Shawell on the M1.

I decided on Shawell as it was the easiest of the two sites to get to. This was a good plan as I found a third-winter Iceland Gull at the landfill site. later on it appeared at the A5 Lagoons. Presumably it was the same one that roosted at Draycote water last night. It was good to see another Iceland gull after the experience with the  juvenile gull that broke its wing.


Third-Winter Iceland Gull, Shawell A5 Lagoons 09/04/16
Third-Winter Iceland Gull, Shawell A5 Lagoons 09/04/16

I finished early at Shawell and headed to Burbage hoping to see the Ring Ouzels at The Outwoods. My luck was in and I managed to end the day in style by seeing both Ring Ouzels. They were a little too distant to get a record shot, but they looked smart through my scope.
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First-Winter Caspian Gull

April 13, 2016, 12:51 pm
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I have now seen this Caspian Gull three times - it first appeared at Shawell on April 2nd and was still there today.

The photos don't really do it justice to be fair. I call Caspian Gulls shape changers, as they change appearance every time they move. Each time I photograph it it looks different.

Its bill at times looked really long and slender, but seconds later it looked unremarkable.

First-Winter Caspian Gull

First-Winter Caspian Gull - note the white underwings

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International Gull Meeting

April 15, 2016, 4:00 am
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Image by Hans Larsson
By the time you read this I should already be enjoying the site of Caspian Gulls doing their long call. I am off to the International Gull Meeting in Saxony this weekend.

I'm most looking forward to the field day and getting some proper images of Caspian Gulls. This opportunity to study a mixed Caspian and Herring Gull breeding colony will hopefully allow me to make better sense of some of the gulls that make my head hurt at Shawell.

The trip will also give me the opportunity to meet up with some of the ringers who I communicate with regularly and also meet a few celebrity gull watchers.

Update:

Arrived safely in Bad Düben. Had lots of beer, met some really great people and in between beers we've seen some gulls. This is a nasty place for gulls and you must brace yourselves for some very scary pictures! 

Too be continued...
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International Gull Meeting Report

April 20, 2016, 1:12 pm
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The IGM was held at Bad Duben in Brandenburg, Germany. I joined Peter Rock from Bristol at Heathrow and we took an early morning flight to Munich and from there we continued on to Leipzig.

Over the three days we enjoyed some excellent talks and had a day in the field watching the gulls of the area.

At the first site, Muhlberg-See, we enjoyed good but distant views of a mixed gull colony. Just to give the identification enthusiasts, me included, a headache we watched a pair of gulls copulating and they weren't of the same species. The colony didn't appear to be doing too well and the appearance of a Fox on the island perhaps explained why.

After enjoying the gulls, a Ring Ouzel and lots of kites we moved on to Grabendorfer-See. Here a large colony of mixed gull species could be seen, but again distantly. With the aid of a remote camera we got views of the gulls on a large screen in the information centre. We even managed to read a colour-ring using the camera.

The next site, Sedlitz-See, offered us a much better chance to see the gulls. We took to the water at this site in an odd shaped boat. It was raining hard by this time, but we managed to sink a few beers on the way out to the islands. The lucky ones managed to get under cover.

To see a collection of my gull photos CLICK HERE for my Flickr Gallery


As we neared the islands we could see the gulls and we soon lured them to us with a few loaves of bread. I managed to take loads of images and most were identifiable as Caspian Gulls. I wasn't quite prepared for how massive some of the male Casps were and their bills were very brightly coloured. That may have something to do with the iron oxide in the water?

The gull below is very interesting, its wings are far plainer than I would expect, but I am told by my friends in Europe that it is within the known variation.


As I said, the adult Caspian Gulls were real beasts. It has made me think that maybe the females are the wanderers, as I don't see many that measure up to the large males.



Photo by Klaus Hein
The IGM Team (photo by Ronald Klien)
It was a great trip, which gave me the chance to meet some of the guys that I communicate with on a regular basis.

Thanks to Ronald Klien for organising the event.

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Back to Shawell

April 23, 2016, 12:01 pm
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There was nothing else to do but to head back to Shawell today after my excursion to Germany last weekend to learn my about my beloved Caspian Gulls.

The first-summer Caspian Gull that I first found on April 2nd was still around and a new first-summer was also there today.




There was still about a 1000 gulls at the landfill site this morning - mostly Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Amongst the Lesser Black-backed Gulls were some Norwegian ringed birds.
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Ring Ouzel at Burbage Outwoods

April 24, 2016, 9:09 am
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One of the male Ring Ouzels was still present at The Outwoods today. Two males were originally found there by Adey Baker on April 8th, but just one of the males was still there today (24th). That is a stay so far of 17 days.

The bird is still favouring the second field after the riding stables and it shows by the safety fences in the far corner.


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Raven

April 26, 2016, 11:56 am
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The sound of a Raven calling is less of a surprise when heard in Leicestershire than it used to be, but it is still great to hear. Its a sound that carries down the ages and reminds us of a wilder past.

I am lucky enough to hear them most days and luckier still to be able to get close to them. A pair have again nested on a large cliff face that I can gain access to.

The young Ravens are almost old enough to take flight and survey the world as only Ravens can. I took the opportunity to take some photographs this morning. I had seen four beaks poking up in the nest last week, but if you look closely at the photo below there is actually five of them.





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