The LBBG flock reduces further!

The weather was once again beautiful...very calm and sunny...so I did not expect to see many Great Black-backed Gulls along the west coast - and so it proved! The LBBG flock has also now dwindled to around 70-80 birds - with just two of my cr birds seen today - Black 8AC2 and Black 1AA1. There were some metal ringed LBBGs - three Channel Islands birds and one British (but I couldn't read the whole code). Interestingly I have a report that several of the LBBGs from Guernsey's late autumn flock were seen together at Slapton Sands, Devon, England on 15 October - two days after I last saw them here in Guernsey. I still believe that most (if not all) of these birds will winter further south. It will be interesting to see if I record any of them back in Guernsey before next year's breeding season commences.

There were two adult Mediterranean Gulls at Portelet Beach this morning.

With the weather so superb, Catherine and I took a trip out around Herm with my brother. It was a lovely trip, where we recorded at least six Atlantic Grey Seals.

Mediterranean Gulls on Portelet Beach - PKV 

Atlantic Grey Seal - Herm - PKV

Herm 16 October 2011 - PKV



Norwegian Lesser Black-backed Gull in Guernsey

A very quick trip down the Island's west coast at lunch-time was very productive. Many of the 350+ LBBGs were too distant on the low tide to be able to see their legs well, but fortunately one of only a handful of birds at closer range at Vazon was a Norwegian LBBG - Blue J3ZH. Ringed as a chick in Vest-Agder in 2007, this bird was recorded by Antonio Gutierrez on passage at Pantin Beach, A Coruna, Spain on 12/10/2010. In the meantime it was recorded back in Norway. Also still present today were LBBG Blue DHC (from Gloucester, England) and Green G:H (from Bath, England).

LBBG Blue J3ZH Vazon - PKV



Ten Foreign Colour Ringed Gulls Today!

Given the very strong winds and high tide around dawn today, I was not surprised to find c 250 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and c 200 Great Black-backed Gulls on the island's west coast beaches. There were still 15 of my locally cr LBBGs, along with Blue DHC from Gloucester, England. The 17 cr GBBGs today may well be a day record for me. Amongst these gulls were one from Mandal, Norway, eight from France (six from Le Havre, Seine-Maritime and two from Chausey Islands), one from Cornwall, England, one from Jersey and six of my locally cr birds from Guernsey).

Gulls on Vazon Beach 09 October 2011 - PKV 

GBBG Black JP282 Vazon (from Mandal, Norway) - PKV 

GBBG Black JLF Vazon (from Jersey) - PKV 

GBBG Green E.46 Portelet Beach - PKV 

GBBG White L:AJ8 Portelet Beach - PKV





Nine Foreign Colour-Ringed Gulls in Guernsey Today

The post-dawn run along the west coast was very productive today, with c 250 Lesser Black-backed Gulls primarily on L'Eree and Portelet Beaches. This number included 17 locally colour ringed birds, as well as two British ringed birds - Blue DHC (Gloucester landfill) which was first seen in Guernsey on 4th October, and Green G:H (a bird from Peter Rock's study based in SW England). This bird was ringed as a chick in 2005 in Bristol, and it was seen in Guernsey last autumn on 19 and 20 October.

Seven foreign colour-ringed Great Black-backed Gulls were seen - six from France ( four from Chausey Islands, Manche and two from Le Havre, Seine-Maritime) and one from Cornwall, England.

LBBG Green G:H L'Eree - PKV 

LBBG Blue DHC L'Eree Beach - PKV 

GBBG Black 53G Portelet Beach, PKV 

GBBG Green K.72 L'Eree Beach PKV



And Another British-Ringed LBBG

Having been in Jersey for work for the past two days, this is a very quick posting regarding another British-colour-ringed LBBG seen in Guernsey on 05 October 2011 at Portelet Beach. This was Blue JHV, a bird ringed in its 1st summer in May 2010 (so a 2009 chick) at Gloucester landfill, England. The wintering site of this gull is not yet known.

LBBG Blue JHV Portelet Beach, Guernsey 05/10/11 - PKV 

Gulls at Portelet Beach 05 October 2011 - PKV



British Ringed LBBG at L'Eree Beach

A quick drive down Guernsey’s west coast this morning resulted in around 200 Lesser Black-backed Gulls being seen – c 100 at L’Eree Beach, with 60 at Perelle and 40 at Vazon. These birds included nine of my colour ringed adults, as well as Black 1AF8 the one and only juvenile LBBG from Sark seen fledged this autumn (so far!). The other main excitement was LBBG Blue DHC observed in the small flock at L’Eree Beach. This bird had been ringed at Gloucester Landfill, England in May 2008.

LBBG Blue DHC L'Eree Beach - PKV



Immature LBBGs from Burhou

Some good fortune this morning enabled me to read two metal ringed Lesser Black-backed Gulls at L'Eree Beach - both were immature birds which had been ringed as chicks (Jersey D4677 in July 2009) and Jersey D5504 in July 2010) on Burhou, Alderney. Both chicks had been too small when ringed to take a colour ring. It was great to record these immatures still near their natal colony in October! 

Other highlights this morning included another juvenile Great Black-backed Gull from Chausey Islands, Manche, France (Green K.72), and eight of my locally colour ringed LBBGs.

Little Egrets at L'Eree Beach 

LBBG Jersey D5504 L'Eree 01 October 2011 - PKV 

LBBG Jersey D4677 L'Eree 01 October 2011 - PKV 



GSPCA in Guernsey Cares for Gulls Following Botulism Outbreak

Following the recent outbreak of avian botulism amongst Herring Gulls in Guernsey, when over 100 gulls appear to have been infected, the GSPCA has made sterling efforts to rehabilitate those gulls which had the strength to survive the initial onslaught of the food poisoning. On 18 September eight Herring Gulls were colour ringed, and seven of these birds have survived to be released back into the wild. At lunch time today Catherine and I returned to ring a second batch of seven Herring Gulls and one adult Great Black-backed Gull, which are all recovering well now, and should be due for release soon.

It is hoped that by colour ringing these gulls data will be gathered on the survival rates for these birds once released. Our thanks to Yvonne and the hard working staff at the GSPCA for the countless hours of care which they put in to rehabilitating a range of wild birds in Guernsey!



Hungarian Mediterranean Gull Now in Spain

One of the most exciting colour ringed gulls seen in Guernsey this autumn was Mediterranean Gull Red HKK3, which put in a very brief appearance just after dawn at Pembroke Beach on 20 August 2011. This bird had been ringed as a chick on 21 June 2011 some 1,722 km away at Szeged, Csongrad, HUNGARY. Today I received news that this gull was seen at La Pena, Bilbao, SPAIN on 15 and 21 September.

More French Great Black-backed Gulls

An 8.9 metre tide just before dawn was always going to make gulling tricky this morning, and so it proved. However, a little perseverance eventually paid off with several hundred gulls feeding on the seaweed at Vazon Beach. Amongst this flock were Black-headed Gull White 21J0 (from Berkshire, England) first recorded in Guernsey at Vazon on 17 July 2011, four of my cr Lesser Black-backed Gulls, and three Great Black-backed Gulls from Chausey Islands, Manche, France (Green E.34, Green K.47 and K.51).

One Observer in NW Spain Reaches his Century of Guernsey Gulls!

This weekend's highlight comes not from the island but from NW Spain, where on Saturday ardent gull watcher Antonio Gutierrez managed to record his 100th Guernsey colour ringed gull - Lesser Black-backed Gull White 6.U6 (which is a breeding adult from Burhou, Alderney).

Bearing in mind that 20 years of my metal ringing Lesser Black-backed Gull chicks had not resulted in a single report from Spain...I find it incredible that in just four years my colour ringing programme has yielded such rich results.

It is very encouraging too that while Antonio is one of the most proficient and prolific ring readers in Iberia (the principal wintering grunds for Guernsey's Lesser Black-backed Gulls), he is being joined by an ever increasing number of keen local enthuisiasts who take the time and the trouble to read the rings on the gulls they see and report them. The contribution they are making to gull research should not be underestimated.

While ring reading by Portuguese birders is perhaps not quite so widespread as in Spain, it is such a lovely place to take a late autumn/winter holiday for birders from further north, that we are fortunate to enjoy a very healthy series of reports from this country too.

Now all we need to do is encourage colour ring reading by the relatively few local birders in Morocco and NW Africa! Now...that would yield spectacular results!

LBBG White 6.U6 Meiras, Spain - Antonio's 100th Guernsey Gull in Spain!



Another Excellent Morning

Conditions were once again good (if a little windy) for observing the gull flock at L'Eree Beach, on the Island's west coast. Almost all the gulls had their legs visible today and nearly 500 full-grown and 60 juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gulls were recorded. This total included 22 of my locally colour-ringed birds, as well as Orange 9V, an adult ringed in Noord Brabant, The Netherlands in May 2006 (Roland-Jan Buijs) and which was recorded on Guernsey's west coast just a couple of weeks earlier in 2010 - thus giving evidence of yet another LBBG which is faithful to its migration stop over points!

Amongst the c 150 Great Black-backed Gulls were Black JX14 (southern Norway), Black 71E and 50J (Seine-Maritime, France), White L:AS1 (Cornwall, England) and Green E.85 and J.20 (Chausey Islands, France).

Gulls at Perelle Beach - PKV 

LBBG Orange 9V L'Eree Beach 20 September 2011 - PKV 

LBBG Orange 9V Vazon Beach 04 September 2010 - PKV



Another new GBBG from Cornwall, England

The lower tide and calmer weather this morning resulted in near perfect conditions for viewing the gull flock at L’Eree Beach just after dawn. Amongst the 350 Lesser Black-backed Gulls were 19 of my birds colour-ringed in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, together with the relatively long-staying juvenile bird (White C+G) from Bath, England. The LBBGs included a 2009 chick – Black 0.F6 (from Burhou, Alderney) and a 2010 chick (Black 4.F1) from Sark. Eleven cr Great Black-backed Gulls were present in the flock of 150 birds – these included yet another new bird from Cornwall (the fourth in as many days), the Norwegian bird (Black JX14) first seen yesterday, and three French birds (all previously seen on Guernsey – Black 34H and Blue 47D from Le Havre, Seine-Maritime and Green E.41 from Chausey Islands).

GBBG White L:AS1 (from Cornwall, England) PKV 

LBBGs and GBBGs L'Eree Beach - PKV



...and Another Great Black-backed Gull from Norway

The weather was worse today with frequent rain showers and gale force winds around dawn. L'Eree Beach was the place to be with a flock of c100 Great Black-backed Gulls and 300+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Amongst the GBBGs were Black JX14 (ringed as a chick in Vest-Agder in June 2007 - Morten Helberg) and Green E.44 (ringed as a chick in July 2009 on Chausey Islands, Manche, France - Seb Provost).

The only foreign cr LBBG was White C+G, a juvenile ringed by Peter Rock in Bath, England , and which has been seen in Guernsey on 08 an 12 August 2011.

GBBG Black JX14 LEree Beach  

Gulls on L'Eree Beach 

Gulls on L'Eree Aerodrome