Guernsey Herring Gull Seen in Germany!

News came in yesterday of a Herring Gull (White 0N9) ringed as a chick on Jerbourg Cliffs, in Guernsey in June 2004 by Jamie Hooper being seen on 24 February 2010 at Flensburg, Germany (near the Danish border) by Peter Gleisenstein. This bird had been seen in Guernsey on 11/03/05 and from 22/09/08 to 19/05/09. This is a very unusual movement for a locally raised Guernsey Herring Gull.


There is one previous record of a colour-ringed Herring Gull from Jamie Hooper’s project being seen in Germany, but this bird was ringed as an adult in April 2000 – and so its natal area is unknown. This gull (White 0F1) was recorded in Guernsey nine times from 19/04/01 to 17/10/01 and then three times in May 2002. It was in Guernsey on 07/11/02, but then next reported from Rantumbecken, Sylt, Germany (G Ernst) on 02/01/03. It returned to Guernsey where it was seen on 14/07/04 and 30/08/08.

Gale force NW winds made gull watching incredibly difficult at Chouet this morning. All three cr Lesser Black-backed Gulls recorded had already been seen in Guernsey this spring. The highlight was an unringed adult Mediterranean Gull on L'Ancresse Common.