News from Spain

On a quiet morning in Guernsey for gulls, it is good to catch up on news from Spain...with reports of adult Guernsey Lesser Black-backed Gulls at Pinto landfill, Madrid (Javier Marchamalo) and Malaga Port (Salva Garcia). White 9.U0 (ringed as a breeding adult female on Burhou, Alderney in June 2009) was seen at Pinto on 5th February. It had previously been recorded on 26 August 2009 at Esmelle Beach, A Coruna, Spain by Antonio Gutierrez.

LBBG White 9.U0 Burhou, Alderney - June 2009 - PKV

LBBG White 9.U0 Esmelle Beach, A Coruna, Spain - Antonio Gutierrez

LBBG White 3.U5 (adult male ringed at the nest on Burhou, Alderney in June 2009 had previously been seen at Quarteira, Portugal (Michael Davis) from 24/09/09 - 01/10/09, and then at Malaga Port, Spain (Salva Garcia) on 05/12/09 and 06/02/10.

With updates on foreign colour ringed birds seen in Guernsey over the past few days - Roland-Jan Buijs has confimed that Lesser Black-backed Gull Red MF was ringed as an adult male on 15 May 2007 at Vlissengen-Oost, Zeeland, Netherlands. It had previously been seen at Blaringhem, Nord, France on 04/09/07 and Hersin-Coupigny, Pas-de-Calais, France on 07/10/08 (both Harry Vercruijsse).

Gilles Le Guillou also confirmed that Great Black-backed Gull Black 64E had been ringed as a chick in Le Havre Port on 25 June 2009 (see photo of the nesting site below!).

 Great Black-backed Gulls (Black 64E and siblings) Le Havre Port, France - Gilles Le Guillou

The only gulls of interest in Guernsey today were c250 (largely Herring Gulls) on Pembroke shortly after dawn. This flock included 25 locally colour ringed birds. At Perelle there were 32 Great Black-backed Gulls (inc one Guernsey ringed bird) and eight Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

Great Black-backed Gulls, Perelle, Guernsey - PKV