Category: Gulls

There are two accepted British records of Azorean Gull, the atlantis race of Yellow-legged Gull, based upon two individuals, one of which was a well-travelled bird that visited Northamptonshire in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Is this another, or the same returning individual in a different guise?

On Wednesday, 4th October, Steve Fisher found and photographed a good candidate for an Azorean Gull at Stanwick Gravel Pits. It appears to be the same bird which he also saw there briefly on both 8th and 15th September. Steve’s images, below, pretty much capture all the visible features, so, is it one?

Head and mantle
This bird does not have a full winter hood and so doesn’t immediately resemble the returning adult from 2013, 2014 and 2015, accepted as the second British record by BBRC. It has been said that the extent of the winter head streaking can vary from year to year in the same individual but this remains to be proven – unless anyone knows otherwise. In any case, the returning individual over those three years appears to have exhibited consistency in the extent of its head streaking, always giving the bird a strikingly hooded appearance. Additionally, the mantle of that bird appeared darker than that of this autumn’s individual, although light conditions, camera settings and processing can, of course, serve to distort the true colour. Having said that, in comparison with the Yellow-legged Gull in the image below, there appears to be little difference in mantle colour. Extent of winter hood varies considerably in Azorean Gull – see here, for example and the bird is not too dissimilar to one, also thought possibly to be Azorean Gull, which visited Shawell in Leicestershire in September 2012.

Wing pattern
The upper and lower wing patterns are interesting and look like they could fall within range of variation for Azorean Gull. There is a single mirror on P10, separated from the small white tip by a narrow black band and no mirror on P9, where Yellow-legged Gull usually has a small mirror. P5 shows a black subterminal band. The underwing shows darkish grey secondaries and primary bases contrasting with white coverts – perhaps not as dark as may be expected for Azorean Gull. Questions: is the mirror on the upper side of P10 too extensive for Azorean Gull? It looks OK on the underside. Is the subterminal black band on P5 too broad for Azorean Gull?

Moult
According to literature (specifically Olsen & Larsson – Gulls of Europe, Asia and North America), Azorean Gull moults earlier than Yellow-legged, which fits with the Stanwick bird which is still growing P10 but everything else, including secondaries and tail, appears to have been completed. Yellow-legged might be expected to still show more signs of moult at this time of the year (but not always).

For reasons stated above, it is clear this is not the same individual as has already occurred here in previous years. So, a very interesting bird, then. Comments welcomed.

Wednesday 13th September. In the wake of Storm Aileen it was difficult to believe no displaced seabirds would have occurred in Northants. On cue, then, a juvenile Sabine’s Gull arrived at Daventry Country Park at 16.30 and was picked up straight away by Gary Pullan as it circled the northern end of the reservoir.

It soon settled down and spent the next two days in the vicinity of the dam, occasionally flying off north but habitually returning again after only short periods of absence. It is still present today (15th September).

First recorded as recently as 1987, it’s a major rarity in Northants with only ten previous records, in 1987 (5), 1993, 1997, 2007, 2008 and 2010, all of which have been in September or October.

A new species is added to the list of birds breeding in Northamptonshire as Mediterranean Gulls nest for the first time at Stanwick Gravel Pits

Mediterranean Gulls have been appearing with increasing frequency among Black-headed Gulls breeding in the Nene Valley – particularly within the well-established Summer Leys colony. This appears to be a recent phenomenon, principally involving single birds which are apparently not sexually mature. Most remain for only a short time during spring but in 2015, a second-summer was discovered in the Summer Leys colony on 18th March, remaining there until 29th June. During this period, it established and held territory, continually displaying to the local Black-headed Gulls. This was repeated in 2016, with another second-summer visiting the colony for only a short duration on 20th-21st March. However, two adults appeared there little more than five weeks later, on 28th April, before relocating the following day to the Stanwick colony, where they were seen again on 11th-12th May. There were no subsequent sightings.

Fast forward to this year, 2017 and 5th April, when a pair was displaying among the Black-headed Gulls at Stanwick, after which they promptly disappeared. On 24th April two were again present – both wore BTO rings and one sported a black leg tag ‘SA30’, which has not yet been traced to source. Again, they were not subsequently reported but then two – amazingly a different pair – arrived in the Black-headed Gull colony on Rotary Island at Summer Leys LNR on 3rd May. Appearing settled, they remained difficult to observe in the island’s vegetation until 5th May.

The following day, 6th May, what was assumed to be the same pair appeared in Stanwick’s Black-headed Gull colony, where they were observed copulating and defending territory.

Nest construction ensued and eggs were laid, subsequently hatching, with the young visible within the colony. It was after this that fortune took a turn for the worse. During the first week in June the young had disappeared – assumed to have been predated by the local Lesser Black-backed Gulls – and by the end of the week both adults had also abandoned the site. Not a positive outcome for a first breeding attempt but, as this species continues to increase in the UK and indeed breeds in Cambridgeshire, we can surely look forward to further attempts in the future.

Thanks to Steve Fisher for providing information and to Bob Bullock for images.

Where Birding meets Logistics

If you have a sense of adventure, a pioneering spirit and you are willing to risk being hit by an HGV, while getting covered in mud, then read on …

The busy A5, just north of Crick, may not at first sight seem an ideal birding location but there’s more to it than meets the eye. Sandwiched between this major road and the M1 is a 250-hectare wedge of land currently under development by Prologis as an extension to the long-established Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal.

DIRFT 3 represents the third phase in this continually expanding logistics complex, which already includes national distribution centres for Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Royal Mail, as well as those of a number of other well-known retailers and third party logistics operators. The project is a joint venture between Prologis and Rugby Radio Station Limited Partnership, with construction taking place on the former Rugby radio station site, the masts of which have now been removed. I am not a big fan of industrial or housing developments on virgin territory but in this instance, given the location alongside existing industry, it doesn’t strike me as being a big deal and the creation of a 70-hectare nature reserve included as part of the development plan is welcome news, going some way to mitigate the loss of green land to industry. Lilbourne Meadows LNR is a collaborative initiative between Natural England, the Environment Agency and the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust (WTBCN). Based on the creation of new meanders to the Clifton Brook tributary – a watercourse running east to west across Lilbourne Meadows – a varied wetland habitat will include wet woodland and reed beds, pools and scrapes. The reserve will be located below Lilbourne and behind the industrial site’s northern perimeter landscaping. This new habitat is designed to attract a range of wetland birds and two bird hides are also included in the plan. Excellent!

But back to the here and now. Levelling of the site is well under way and, as a spin-off, some sizeable shallow lagoons and pools have been inadvertently created as a result of standing rain water on the recently created flat earth surfaces. While some of these are inaccessible, deep within the construction site, one area in particular is readily viewable from the A5 – if you don’t mind the proximity of thundering traffic! Parking is also a problem but possible with care in the limited number of narrow pull-ins and lay-bys. This one shallow, though extensive, pool is located immediately to the right (south) one of the entrances to the site, about 1.5 km to the north of the Sainsbury’s DC roundabout. The grassy fields to the north of the entrance are also worth viewing. This roadside area holds hordes of roosting gulls – particularly at the weekend when construction activity is minimal – and many drop in to bathe. Over the past two weeks, it has produced Shelduck, Golden Plover, Curlew, Dunlin, Caspian Gull, Yellow-legged Gull and Glaucous Gull and, with spring passage now under way, who knows what else might drop in over the coming weeks.

Having stumbled across it by accident while driving along the A5, I have visited this site a good number of times over the last month, recognising its potential for gulls in particular, and I’ve been lucky (or persistent) enough to find Glaucous and Caspian Gulls there. Its location is prime for receiving gulls, which roost at nearby Draycote Water (Warwickshire) 13 km to the south-west and feed on Shawell Landfill (Leicestershire) 5 km to the north and it seems logical to assume there is movement between all three sites. I’m hoping the new Lilbourne Meadows LNR will continue to attract them long after DIRFT 3 is completed. As far as both the reserve and the industrial site are concerned there is, as yet, no completion date. The area remains in a constant state of flux and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Watch this space!

Revisited, reassessed and … right first time!

After convincing myself to go against my gut feel and better judgement, it would appear I was wrong in my post-observation photo-based identification assessment of the white-winged 4th winter gull at Rushton last weekend as an Iceland Gull.

Mick Ketley kindly contacted me with a solid argument which supports my initial identification as a Glaucous Gull. Here’s what he says:

As you can imagine, I found your account of great interest and of a very similar situation to what we had at Eye Brook Reservoir (EBR) last month, Saturday 7 January. I thought it strange that you changed your mind when it was put out on recent reports. I feel strongly that you were correct in the first place, that it is a 4th w Glaucous Gull albeit a female, considering its size and bill. Your photos show clearly the following features.
TOP PHOTO: It appears MASSIVE compared to the Common Gull (at its primary tips). It is MUCH LARGER than the adult and juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Is MUCH LARGER than the 1st w Herring Gull (beside the Common Gull) and ‘argenteus’ Herring Gulls at the top of the photo. It appears to closely approach the size of the large Herring Gull (left of centre at the top of the photo). Taking these pro-Glaucous features and size of bill into consideration it seems to be a female Glaucous Gull.
SECOND PHOTO: Similar comparisons.
THIRD PHOTO: Self-explanatory, HUGE beside the Lesser Black-backed Gull.
BOTTOM PHOTO: On its own. I would expect the primary projection to be slightly longer on an Iceland Gull. The position of the eye is up nearer to the forehead, the ratio of eye diameter to bill length is well within 1:5 to 1:7. These are certainly pro-Glaucous features. Some Glaucous Gulls can show a primary projection, while others, especially bolt upright, have a ‘very blunt rear end’.
To date my personal tally of local (i.e. EBR and around the Corby area) Glaucous Gulls is 36 individuals and 49 individual Iceland Gulls. I found a personal guide to sexing Iceland Gulls as follows, although they have a different structure, I found BODY MASS to be helpful, in comparison with large male Common Gull, = female Iceland. And with Lesser Black-backed Gull = male Iceland.
This is not the first time nor the last this situation arises re. white-winged gulls, I’ve known a few. On Saturday 7 January, last month, I spent a lot of time at Rushton a.m. as there were three large concentrations of gulls, nothing special. Then I went to RW and arrived at EBR at 3.00 p.m. just as Andy Mackay, Colin Towe and Chris Lythall located a white-winged gull on the water at the inflow. On its own just like your bird, we all agreed to Iceland Gull, small, extremely pale grey mantle and upper wings (pro-Iceland), low profile and long attenuated rear end, even the ‘small’ bill size. However I did remark that the eye was up nearer the forehead. Then other gulls swam alongside it and alarm bells rang. Even ‘argenteus’ were dwarfed by it and it was matching larger Herring Gulls. If you go onto LROS latest sightings, scroll to the 2 photos dated 7 January, it looks like an Iceland Gull (adult), touch on the photos for the bigger picture, no pun intended, and like yours, seems to be a female Glaucous Gull, compared to other gulls with it. The shade of grey appears darker in the photos, it was extremely pale.

I cannot disagree with Mick. Further research throws up the not infrequent occurrence of Glaucous Gulls with ‘long wings’ and, despite the apparently small bill, this gull retains that mean, Glaucous look …

This morning I paid my usual weekly visit to Rushton Landfill. In recent weeks it has been pulling in up to 4,000 gulls, including several Caspians, and the chances of finding either Glaucous or Iceland has been on the cards for some time, given the current higher than usual numbers of both species present in the UK this winter.

Gulls frequently loaf in good numbers on adjacent fields and one of the favourite gathering places is the field immediately north of the landfill, at Storefield Lodge Farm. It was here that, going through the assembled flock this morning, I picked out a first-winter Caspian and, at last, found a white-winged gull. My immediate reaction was forth-winter Glaucous as it seemed quite large, looked a little dingy and had a blackish subterminal band on the bill – otherwise it was a winter ‘adult’ with fairly well-marked head streaking, which extended to the neck and upper breast, albeit rather faded. I duly broadcast the news and then went back to getting a proper look.

Next to Lesser Black-backed and Herring it appeared marginally larger, although the bill was not long but the head appeared rather flat-crowned. Given size and proportions I quickly came to the conclusion it must be a small female Glaucous. Over the next couple of minutes I took a few long distance digiscope shots before the bird disengaged itself from the flock and flew a few metres closer. Any potential prolonged observation was quickly cut short at this point, however, as the explosive gull-scarer went off on the adjacent landfill and all the gulls took to the air and quickly dispersed. Despite a search of neighbouring fields I failed to relocate the gull. It was only after later examination of the images I managed to obtain that nagging doubts about the bird’s identity crept in. Although in the first three images reproduced here the bird appears large and ‘mean-looking’ (= Glaucous) in the last of the series of images the true proportions are visible. It lacks the truly hefty proportions of Glaucous Gull, appears attenuated with a long primary projection and has a more rounded head and relatively small, short bill, bearing a resemblance to a Common Gull. This all adds up to it being an Iceland Gull with the size and sometimes flattish, sloping forehead suggesting a ‘butch’ male.

Azorean Gull, Azorean Yellow-legged Gull, Azores Gull – call it what you like but, following its acceptance by the BOU on to the British List earlier this year, Larus michahellis atlantis – currently considered to be a distinctive taxon – is now on the Northamptonshire List based on the acceptance by British Birds Rarities Committee of a returning adult to Stanwick GP during 2013, 2014 and 2015. The accepted records are as follows:

2013 27th September intermittently to 6th November (M. T. Elliott, S. P. Fisher)                                        2014 21st October (M. R. Alibone, S. P. Fisher, R. D. Webster)                                                                                        2015 10th October (S. P. Fisher)

This individual is considered to be (and is treated as) the same returning bird which has been seen in various Midlands counties annually during autumn since its initial discovery in Oxfordshire in 2009. As such it constitutes only the second British Record. This autumn it appears to have again returned, being seen at Stanwick GP and at Grafham Water in Cambridgeshire. For a recap on the accepted Northants occurrences see: 2013  2014  2015

Gull aficionado Martin Elliott will be back on a one-time visit to Stanwick on 29th September to run a special Yellow-legged and Caspian Gull ID masterclass. Don’t miss it …