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Shawell Update

April 1, 2015, 12:30 pm
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Things haven't been well at Shawell lately despite finding a juvenile Iceland Gull and several Med Gulls during March. For some reason the number of gulls using the site has been lower than expected. Saturdays have been rubbish (no pun intended) during the last few weeks and last Saturday I gave up at dinner time.

Maybe the gulls that wintered in the area have already moved on and the ones that migrated south are yet to arrive? Maybe the lack of food waste going into landfill is starting to have an effect? Maybe the Common Buzzard that keeps launching low flying attacks on the gulls isn't helping?

I called in this afternoon for ten minutes and there were more gulls than I'd seen throughout March on the lagoons. Maybe I should stop trying to second guess whats going on. Anyway there was a couple of Yellow-legged Gulls amongst the Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls, which may be a result of a bit of northward migration. Both the Yellow-legged Gulls were youngsters, so I guess they followed the Lesser Black-backed Gulls north?


Second Calendar-Year Yellow-legged Gull
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Brascote Comes Back to Life

April 14, 2015, 1:21 pm
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It has been a while since Brascote has made the local birding headlines, but a couple of Ring Ouzels and a pair of Garganey have got it back on the map.

The Ring Ouzels first appeared on Sunday and are still present this evening. The field they are frequenting has had work done on it to drain it, so it is pleasing that it is still attracting birds despite being dryer than in the past. Tonight as well as the Ring Ouzels, six Wheatears were also in the field. Also a male White Wagtail was in the same field as the Ring Ouzels on Sunday night. 

A pair of Garganey arrived today and stayed long enough for me to finish work and see them. This is only the second record in SW Leicestershire since two were seen by George Downes at Huncote Sandpit back in 1976. I have long suspected that Brascote could host this species.

I am working on updating the SW Leics list and will post an updated version soon. We are still waiting for the 200th species for the area having been stuck on 199 for quite a while now.

Drake Garganey, Brascote Pits 14/04/15
Male and Female Garganey, Brascote Pits 14/04/15

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It' Getting Tough Out There

April 30, 2015, 11:17 pm
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I've been out checking on the few remaining Corn Buntings at the western edge of Leicestershire. I was shocked to see that at my best site near Twycross the crop had changed from the traditional cereal type to Oil Seed Rape. This is not a crop which is favoured by Corn Buntings more of a cash crop for the farmer I guess. Two Corn Buntings were sitting out on top of one of the plants, but they looked as bemused as I did. Nearby at Appleby Magna I found a singing male and there was still a cereal crop, but much smaller than in the past.


At Appleby Magna a pair of both Yellow Wagtail and Grey Partridge were in residence. It was good to see these birds, as even these are getting harder to find now a days.

It's hard not to get despondent with all the changes going on at the sites I visit: Brascote Pits are filling with silt, the embankment at Croft Quarry is becoming overgrown and I'm struggling to get good views of the gulls at Shawell. On the plus side, the pair of Garganey and the two Ring Ouzels at Brascote were great local birds, so all is not lost. 

Even my trusty gulls have been letting me down lately and making it hard work to see them. However, I managed to sneak up on a group of gulls last weekend in the quarry at Cotesbach and amongst them was a Norwegian ringed Great Black-backed Gull and also a Lesser Black-backed Gull that was also ringed in Norway.


The pools in the quarry are an excellent place to see the gulls up close, but the point where I used to stand has been dug away. The quarry is strictly private and is not accessible without permission.


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Bonny Scotland!

May 10, 2015, 9:33 am
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I've just had a splendid week in Scotland with my wife and daughter. We couldn't completely escape the election, as SNP banners and flags were everywhere, but we did our best.

We stayed in a lovely cottage that overlooked Loch Ewe. On the way we stopped at Loch Garten to take part in Capercaillie Watch. It turned out to be a bad decision as far as the Capers were concerned, because the only male that was displaying was hidden behind a tree. Can you year tick one based on seeing it on CCTV camera? However, Loch Garten looked great, both at night and in the early morning.

Anyway, as normal there were plenty of exciting bits including an encounter with a friendly Pine Marten. Lots of Great Northern Divers were on Loch Ewe and at least 20 Whimbrel and a single White-tailed Eagle were also in the area. It was also good to hear so many Cuckoos. 

Below are a few of my favourite images:

Loch Garten
Loch Garten
Loch Garten
Brown Hare
Pine Marten
Great Northern Diver
Great Northern Diver
Whimbrel
Dunlin
Ringed Plover
White Wagtail
Beinn Eighe
George & Dawn with Slioch in the Background
An Teallach
Look at The Ice Fall Below the Cornice (centre bottom of image) , Some of the Chunks are the Size of a Large Van

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South-West Leicestershire List

May 31, 2015, 8:34 am
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A pair of Shelduck at Cotesbach Landfill site yesterday had seven ducklings in tow. Not the 200th species that we still await in South-west Leicestershire, but it was only the second confirmed breeding record for this species in the area. Since I last updated the SWL list there has been quite a few records worth mentioning. As a result I've added all the new stuff to the list - the full list can be found HERE.

Please feel free to point out any mistakes or anything that may have been missed.

Red Kite at Cotesbach Landfill Site



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Breeding Gulls in Leicester

June 8, 2015, 1:00 pm
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Back in July 2013, Dave Gray checked out a site in Leicester where he thought gulls might be breeding and he saw a juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull on the roof of a large warehouse. This was almost certainly the first record of this species breeding in Leicestershire.

However, no further studies have been carried out at the site due to the difficulties of viewing and the tight security.

I decided to visit the site about two week ago and I found a large mixed breeding colony of gulls. I was able to get views of at least three pairs of Lesser Black-backed Gulls that were incubating eggs and I also saw three pairs of Herring Gulls with a total of eight chicks between them. There will be many more breeding pairs, as I estimate there is a minimum of 200 gulls present although somme are immature.

A Breeding Pair of Lesser Black-backed Gulls (Larus fuscus graellsi) in Leicester

This is the first confirmed breeding record for Herring Gulls in Leicestershire and the record of the breeding Lesser Black-backed Gulls supports Dave's sighting in July 2013.  

I have managed to get a view of the roof in two places, but much of it is still hidden from me. What makes this site so attractive to gulls is that there is a re-cycling plant over the road, which offers a plentiful supply of food. At the time of writing I have not got permission from either of the companies whose properties the gulls are using, but I am working on it. 

So far I have managed to photograph two colour-ringed Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Both were ringed in Gloucestershire. The first one D+M was ringed as a chick in a roof top colony in Gloucestershire during July 2010. D+M has been seen at both Cotesbach and Albion landfill sites in Leicestershire by both Steve Lister and myself.


Lesser Black-backed Gull, D+M, Leicester

The second colour-ringed gull JND was ringed in its second-calender year at Gloucester landfill site during May 2010. Again this one has been recorded at both Cotesbach and Albion landfill sites. It has also been recorded wintering in Spain during 2011 and 2012.

Lesser Black-backed Gull, JND, Leicester

Unfortunately the building is set to be demolished soon, so it will be a case of having to search for a new breeding area soon.
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Breeding Success

June 11, 2015, 10:00 am
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I keep an eye on two Peregrine eyries within the boundaries of my south-west Leicestershire listing area. One site has become hard to monitor as the pair there have moved the nesting site to a ledge which is much further from the viewing point, but not so the second pair. I was watching two young on the nest ledge from a safe distance when something caught my eye. It took a second or to to work out where the movement came from but when I did I was surprised to see it was a juvenile Peregrine. It must have set out on its first flight, as it was quite a distance from the eyrie. Luckily I had my camera with me, so I blasted off a few shots and then retreated just in case the parents were watching. The pair have raised three eyases (chicks) this year.


Juvenile Peregrine

Staying with the breeding theme, the seven young Shelducks are still doing well at Cotesbach Landfill site and the Herring Gull chicks in Leicester are piling on weight on a diet of old pizzas and chips.
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Herring Gull Chicks on a Rooftop in Leicester

June 14, 2015, 8:21 am
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The lovely people up at Sunningdale Business Park have not yet found the time to reply to a letter I sent them. I asked if I could survey the breeding gulls by viewing them from a building that overlooks the roof. Their head of security has also been very busy as well as he hasn't called me despite saying he would. Funnily enough Casepak who run the recycling centre where the gulls feed have also been too busy to reply to my request to view the gulls from a safe vantage point.

I understand that they may not want to give me access for some reason, but at least they could acknowledge my request! There is very little of interest up on the roof apart from the gulls, so I don't think I'll be able to carry out any industrial espionage.

Anyway a small part of the roof can be viewed from Scudamore Road and this morning I saw six Herring Gull chicks and a single Lesser black-backed chick. I know this because I watched them being fed by their parents.

The short video shows three of the Herring Gull chicks.
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Caspian Gull at Cotesbach LF Site in June

June 20, 2015, 10:35 am
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There are still lots of gulls around Shawell at present. Today I counted 1440 Lesser Black-backed (rounded to the nearest 10), 50 Herring, four Yellow-legged and one Caspian.

Though most legs were bare of bling, I did spot a few colour-ringed gulls including a German ringed Lesser Black-backed Gull. It was a second-year and I had seen it at Shawell previously during August 2014. I have also seen Dutch and Norwegian ringed LBBGs recently. 

There must be more local breeding gulls to be found judging by the large number of adult gulls feeding on the tip today. If anyone does spot any gulls in Leicestershire hanging around industrial sites please let me know, as I have an offer on the table to colour-ring the young gulls.

I have almost given up trying to survey the gulls breeding on the roof at Sunningdale Business Park, Leicester as the management say they are just too busy to spare me half an hour to view the warehouse roof from the higher office block - bah humbug! I can't ask anyone of a higher position in the company as the refusal came from a 'Partner' Landlord. 

The landfill site and sand quarry at Shawell are strictly private and the gulls are not viewable from any public area. It has taken me three years to gain access and it still isn't easy to get good views. The gulls have many choices of places to go and it is not possible to chase them. I have had training from Lafarge Tarmac in order to enter the quarry, which was very kind of them. Hopefully in the future I will be given permission to get closer to the working part of the tip.

The gull in the photo below first appeared when the rain had soaked my eyepiece, but I saw enough to think it might have been a Caspian. It re-appeared on the tip in slightly drier conditions and it stayed in view long enough to see that it was a Caspian Gull. Its slender proportions were obvious when compared to three bulky third year Yellow-legged Gulls that were close by. 

The photo was made from a video, so it has lost a bit of detail, but you can get the idea. In the photo its bill has lost the black mark near the tip and its shape is not quite right to how it looked in the field. You can see that it is long and slender though.

Second-summer Caspian Gull

It was aggressive towards the other gulls and three times it did the 'albatross pose'.
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Curious Birds

June 28, 2015, 2:55 am
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It is quite obvious that some of the birds at Cotesbach landfill site actually fly over to check me out. Several times one or other of the resident pair of Red Kites has flown low and slow over me and had a real good look at me. Yesterday morning a juvenile Raven circled just above me, as did a juvenile Common Buzzard. I wear a high vis vest whilst on site, so obviously I stand out, but I have not noticed birds behaving quite like this elsewhere.

Juvenile Raven

Juvenile Common Buzzard (note: no tail band and short wings)

I was also checked out by the drake Shelduck as I neared the pond his family are residing on. This of course is more normal behaviour. The ducklings have matured fast and they were a little easier to approach and take a few photos compared to when they were really small.

Drake Shelduck
Juvenile Shelduck - One of Seven

The Red Kites were hunting almost continually yesterday and I saw at least one everywhere I went around Shawell. Both birds are distinctive due to feather loss/damage.

Red Kite

There were lots of gulls loafing around in the quarry, but they remained mostly distant, so it was good to have other distractions. I visited a small pool close to the A5 Lagoons and I was delighted to find some White-legged Damselflies and also good numbers of Red-eyed Damselflies. The pool is next to a meadow that appears to have been left to its own devices. Quite a few Common Spotted Orchids were visible in the long grass, so maybe there are more interesting flowers to be discovered.

Red-eyed Damselfly

Common Spotted Orchid

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More Urban Gulls

July 2, 2015, 12:06 pm
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Yesterday I had to go to an industrial estate in Northampton and you guessed it, I found another group of breeding gulls. Not quite as many as on the Old British Shoe works in Leicester, but still a good record. Both Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls are nesting there. I spoke to the company and although they didn't throw me out they were not helpful as far as allowing access to ring the chicks is concerned. The boss had instructed a staff member to get rid of the gulls. Apparently because they occasionally leave a mess on his car occasionally. It is a real shame that so many people want to destroy anything that inconveniences them slightly.

Herring Gulls Keeping Watch From a Nearby Building (free advertising)

I have also made a return visit to the old British Shoe works in Leicester this week and there is a great deal of activity there, as some of the chicks are quite mature now. I saw one fly along the road about a metre above the tarmac. It managed to clear the wall and disappeared into the works. 

I am concerned that the demolition of the site will start before all the gulls fledge, as I've been told the contractors arrive next week. I'll keep my eye on things and see how it goes.

The photo below is of a young Herring Gull. I know this because I saw its parents feed it.

Herring Gull Chick, Sunningdale Business Park, Leicester
On the Look Out














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The Gulls are on the Move Again

July 4, 2015, 1:52 pm
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One of the most exciting things about watching a site regularly is seeing the subtle changes each time you visit. It only seems five minutes since the adult gulls had moved away to breed. Last weekend there was an obvious change as a small number of Black-headed Gulls had appeared and Yellow-legged Gull numbers had increased. Today 17 Yellow-legged Gulls were present including seven adults and Black-headed Gull numbers had increased to 240. The first juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull I've seen at the site this summer was at the tip and a smart pair of Mediterranean Gulls was also there. I first heard their distinctive call and then I spotted them feeding together. 

Second-summer Yellow-legged Gull

A Green Sandpiper feeding around the edges of one of the pools near the landfill site also hinted that autumn passage has already begun.

Below is a short video showing the pair of adult Mediterranean Gulls. Best watched by clicking on the YouTube logo and in settings select 720p HD.




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Update on the Urban Gulls

July 7, 2015, 11:29 pm
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The gulls on the old British Shoe building in Leicester are doing OK despite my worries about the building being demolished any time soon. I believe it is scheduled to be knocked down very soon, but luckily the first juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gulls have fledged. Last night three young LBBGs were on the roof of the re-cycle plant on the opposite side of the road to the breeding site.

It can be difficult to positively ID some of these chicks, because you can see both species of gull standing close to them and it isn't always obvious who the parents are.

In the video below two immature Herring Gulls are standing close to the chick and just prior to that and adult HG was standing next to it, but I think it becomes clear that it is a LBBG. Just watch what its mother does to it.


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Yellow-legged Gull Bonanza

July 9, 2015, 2:32 pm
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I had a few hours at Shawell this afternoon and Yellow-legged Gulls were everywhere. It is difficult to be exact, but there was over twenty individuals. Amongst them were two smart juveniles. I have to say that juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls are one of my favourites. The large pale buff edged scapulars look really good when fresh.

The heat haze was a problem today (shouldn't complain about sunshine), but eventually the visibility though my scope improved allowing me to get a few digiscoped images of one of the juveniles.

Juvenile Yellow-legged Gull

I also managed to read a colour ring on an adult Black-headed Gull. The ring was a Polish one. This is interesting as I was speculating where the BHGs had all of a sudden appeared from. I have also had one from The Netherlands recently. 

These days I see Red Kites at Shawell every time I visit. Three were harassing the gulls today including a wing-tagged individual. It had a white tag with the number 2 on its left wing and a red tag with the number 2 on the right. I am awaiting information to be emailed to me.

Red Kite

Red Kite
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Gulls are Not Just for Christmas

July 12, 2015, 12:53 pm
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The promise of 'white-wingers' in the depths of winter excites avid gull watchers, but for me there is excitement in mid-summer as well. As soon as gulls have finished breeding they start wandering.

Yesterday's highlights included 25 Yellow-legged Gulls (5 juveniles), two Caspian Gulls (a first and second-summer), a juvenile Mediterranean Gull and the first Great Black-backed Gull for a while. The Red kites were also trying to hunt the gulls.

More remarkably was the re-sighting of a Croatian ringed Black-headed Gull, SJ22, which I last clocked eyes on in September 2009 - See Here.

Second-Summer Caspian Gull, Cotesbach Landfill Site, 11/07/15
Below is a video of some of the highlights including the second-summer Caspian Gull and a couple of juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls (again best to change settings to HD and click on the YouTube logo to launch it)


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Possible Baltic Gull (Larus fuscus)

July 13, 2015, 11:22 am
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As you may have already read on my previous post, last Saturday was a good day at Shawell. Amongst the 1000+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls was a really smart second calendar year gull, which took my eye. I have read the paper 'Field identification criteria for second calendar-year Baltic Gull' several times and so when I saw this gull had tar black primaries my alarm bells started to ring. Luckily I was able to get a bit of video footage of it, which is not easy on the working area of the tip.



I will leave you to enjoy the video and form your own opinions. If you do have any thoughts on this gull please let me know either by commenting or emailing me using the contact bit on this blog.

Thanks for looking.


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Juvenile Caspian Gull Completes the Full Set or Does It?

July 18, 2015, 1:18 pm
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I was back at Shawell today searching through hundreds of second year LBB Gulls in the hope of re-finding the Baltic Gull. I didn't manage that but I did see a lot of worn and faded primaries.

So what set have I completed? Juvenile gulls of course. Gulls don't keep their juvenile plumage for long, so it's good to get them early.

By 'A Full Set' I mean juvenile Lesser Black-backed , Herring, Yellow-legged and Caspian Gulls.


Juvenile Yellow-legged Gull, Shawell A5 Lagoons

The first juvenile Yellow-legged Gull arrived on July 4th and up to five have been present since although only one was around today. The first juvenile LBB Gulls turned up on the 8th and at least 20 were there today. Next came Herring Gull with one on the 15th and two today, So that only leaves juvenile Caspian Gull.

I wasn't really expecting a juvenile Casp, because they usually turn up in the UK in August. They are early breeders so one could arrive. Its not far to Poland or east Germany as the gull flies after all.

I spotted a gull this afternoon on the lagoons and said to Steve Nichols that it looked like a juvenile Caspian Gull. 


Juvenile Caspian Gull?, Shawell A5 Lagoons, 18/07/15 - Video Below

It was quite a small one so presumably a female. I was pleased to see that it revealed long gangly legs when it stood up in the shallow water. It is typically high breasted, elegant and has the snouty look about it. The dark centred greater coverts are spot on as well. We watched it fly off and I was relieved to see it had a blackish tail bar and clean white upper tail coverts, plus whitish under wings. I haven't heard of another juvenile Caspian Gull in the country yet, so this maybe the first this year.

That said, a question has been raised over its identification based on the contrast between the upper and lower parts. I have been asked to check as it is difficult to rule out a juvenile YLG. Any constructive opinions will be well received as normal.

It was quite distant, so once again it was better to video it.

Best watched by clicking on the YouTube logo:



Thanks for watching.
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Marbled White

July 20, 2015, 11:58 am
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Whilst I was scratching about at Shawell GP on Sunday trying to get a view of the pits to do my WeBS count, I came across about 20 of these stunners.

They are restricted to only a few locations in the East Midlands as far as I know, so this is a good addition to their local range.

Marbled White Butterfly, Shawell GP, 19/07/2015



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Good Times at Shawell

July 26, 2015, 11:05 am
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Gulls are starting to disperse having already bred and as a result more legs are appearing with colour rings. I read 28 colour rings yesterday including another Polish ringed Black-headed Gull. 

One of the colour-ringed gulls was a second calendar year Lesser Black-backed Gull, blue VX5M, ringed in Denmark. Nothing remarkable about the sighting at Shawell, but this morning I had an hour at the breeding site in Leicester and there was VX5M sitting on the roof in Leicester. This definitely links the two sites. The site in Leicester has food on offer at the re-cycle plant, which attracts roaming feeding birds as well as the breeding ones - maybe a Yellow-legged or Caspian Gull will be sitting on the roof sometime soon?

After last weekend's juvenile Caspian Gull/Yellow-legged Gull/hybrid I was hoping for some easier gulls. 

Anyway I spotted a gull on the main A5 Lagoon that immediately looked like a Caspian Gull, but a really small one - most likely a female. The small size was further exaggerated by the fact that its new primaries were still growing. I took some video of it and whilst watching it, I realised that it had a yellow colour ring. I can't read the code, but from what I can see, it may be either a Lithuanian or German ring. It could also be Polish, but I think it has numbers in the code and the Polish ones should have four letters. Of course this colour ring helps prove my identification, or at least that it originated from a good location.

Third-summer Caspian Gull (presumed to be a female), Shawell A5 Lagoons, 25/07/15

Third-summer Caspian Gull, Shawell A5 Lagoons

Although this gulls looks almost adult like, it still had black in the outer primary coverts. The primary pattern was almost adult like. P5 is not visible in the photo below and may well be moulted and not re-grown, or just hidden behind P6. The longest primary has a nice white tip.


Third-summer Caspian Gull, Shawell A5 Lagoons

One thing that is important when working with gulls is to realise that they are extremely variable. Size difference between the sexes can be massive. I saw a large adult male Yellow-legged Gull yesterday that completely dwarfed another adult stood close by.
  


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Hooded Merganser

July 26, 2015, 11:18 am
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Just before lunchtime I was sitting down watching the rain falling heavily on my living room window. My phone rang and it was Colin Green and he sounded quite excited. He and Pete Asher had lost their senses and were out birding in the rain at Brascote Pits. They had spotted a small 'merganser' and thought it might be a Hooded Merganser. I looked at the rain on the window and then my wife and said 'hold the dinner I'm off to help Colin and Pete'.

On arrival I could sense something was wrong. True to form it had flown from its original location and they had lost it. 

Luckily Colin re-found it on one of the other pools. It was distant and appeared wary - good sign. It then completely let itself down by swimming directly towards us and came as close as it could. With better views we confirmed the identification.

Lovely duck, but sadly not the 200th genuinely wild bird for SW Leicestershire I'm afraid. 

Female Hooded Merganser

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