Another Superb Early Morning at Chouet

It was a difficult decision this morning whether to enter Chouet landfill or wait for the gulls on the beach (where they often gather after feeding in the landfill). With the tide falling I gambled on the beach - and this turned out to be the better decision. Most of the gulls feasted quickly in the landfill then immediately transeferred to the beach for a bathe before resting in full view.

Gulls Resting on Chouet landfill Beach 27/02/10 - PKV

Lesser Black-backed Gull numbers reached just over 300 birds - and of these 15 were my colour-ringed birds. This included four newly arrived birds:-

White 7S2 - an adult male ringed in our garden at Ty Coed, Vale Marais, Guernsey on 01/06/08 - and recorded 14 times at Chouet in 2009 from 19 March to 29 August. It was then seen on 09/10/09 at Pointe des Trois Pierres, Saint Denis d'Oléron, Vendee, France (Benjamin Griard).

LBBG White 7S2 Chouet Landfill Beach 27/02/10 - PKV

White 4.Z1 ringed as an adult female in our garden at Ty Coed, Guernsey on 17/05/09, and recorded on 29 May 09 at Chouet, before wintering in Iberia - with a sighting at Malaga Port, Malaga, Spain on 22/12/09 (Salva Garcia & Hannu Koskinen).

LBBG White 4.Z1 Chouet landfill Beach - 27/02/10 - PKV

White 2.T1, ringed on 31/05/09 at Ty Coed, Guernsey (and seen twice in early July 2009 at Chouet) also returned today from unknown wintering grounds - as did White 1.Z7 (originally ringed as an adult female at Chouet landfill on 04/04/09 and only seen in Guernsey in April 2009).

LBBG White 1.Z7 Chouet landfill Beach - April 2009 - PKV

Amongst the Lesser Black-backed Gulls already seen back home this spring were White 7S6, White 7.T9 and White 2.T1

LBBG White 7S6 making itself heard at Chouet landfill Beach - 27/02/10 - PKV

LBBG White 2.T1 Chouet Landfill Beach - 27/02/10 - PKV

LBBG White 7.T9 Chouet landfill Beach 27/02/10 - PKV

Only one of the six colour-ringed Great Black-backed Gulls was local (Yellow 0P0). The other five were all French - three from Le Havre, Seine-Maritime, (Gilles Le Guillou) and two from Chausey Islands, Manche (Seb Provost). All five birds were already known to me - but Blue 56D had only ever been seen once before in Guernsey (at Chouet landfill on 20 October 2008).

GBBG Green E.95 Chouet Landfill Beach 27/02/10 - PKV

76 locally cr Herring Gulls were recorded - including White 4.FF8, which had been ringed as an adult male on 05/06/10 at Chouet landfill before being spotted on 16.08.09 at Dolus d’Oleron, Charente-Maritime, France (Arnoud Sponge). This gull was first seen back in Guernsey on 16/02/10.

Herring Gull White 4.FF8 Chouet Landfill Beach 27/02/10 - PKV