A Windy and Wet Day...but new Lesser Black-backed Gulls continue to arrive home.

There were rather unpleasant conditions today for gull watching - with rain and strong winds. However, there was still plenty of activity at Chouet early in the morning, with several hundred gulls bathing and resting on Chouet landfill Beach. 56 Herring Gull colour rings were read (all locals), along with four Great Black-backed Gulls (two locals and two well known 2nd Winter Gulls from Chausey Islands, France (Seb Provost) - Green B.09 and Green B.36.

All three Lesser Black-backed Gulls seen in the morning had already been recorded back home this spring - White 8.Z0, 8.Z3 and 2.U1.

LBBG White 8.Z3 - well fed after a trip to Chouet landfill - 24/02/10 - PKV

LBBG White 2.U1 Chouet landfill Beach 24/02/10 - PKV

A very brief visit at lunch time brought the bird of the day - Lesser Black-backed Gull 1.V9. This gull was ringed as an adult male in our garden at Ty Coed, Vale Marais on 21/06/09. I then recorded  it five times at Chouet up to 14/08/09. It was then observed on 29/12/09 at Bastiagueiro Beach, Oleiros, A Coruña, Spain (Serge Paris).

LBBG White 1.V9 Ty Coed, Guernsey - June 2009 - PKV

LBBG White 1.V9 Chouet Landfill Beach 24/02/10 - PKV

Herring Gull White 2.MM2 Chouet landfill Beach 24/02/10 - PKV