Belgian and Portuguese-ringed LBBGs at Chouet

After a very busy week at work and home, with very little gulling, it was wonderful to spend a couple of hours on Saturday morning at Chouet Landfill. Although the weather was a bit dull, with showers and a stiff breeze, I was able to enjoy wonderful views of the gulls as they fed at the tipping face. It was very noticeable that there has been another increase in immature LBBGs present - mostly 2nd and 3rd summer birds, but also the occasional 1st summer bird. Amongst these birds were a couple of my chicks ringed on Burhou in 2009 and 2010. A Belgian-ringed bird was also present - Blue N.CAG. I was also very pleased to finally be able to read a Portuguese metal ring on an adult LBBG Lisboa M011613. I had seen this bird several times in the past few weeks, but hadn't been able to secure all the digits on the code.

I was also intrigued to se Yellow-legged Gull White 1CA9 feeding - supporting the view that this adult bird is at least summering n the islands (as in 2011)...if not breeding in a mixed pair with Herring Gull!

Also at this time of the year I really enjoy watching the LBBGs pairing and displaying - all in all a really wonderful session at Chouet!

Iceland and Yellow-legged Gulls at Chouet

Highlights at Chouet in the last few days have included a 1st winter Iceland Gull, an unringed adult Yellow-legged Gull and a new day record of 163 ring reads on my Lesser Black-backed Gulls! The only disappointment was our lack of success catching any new gulls this weekend (probably because of the strong winds, which tend to unsettle the gulls).

Another Seabird Colour Ringing Study begins in the Channel Islands

Inspired by similar projects in the Isle of Man and the nearby Chausey Archipelago, France, and conscious that we really don’t know very much about our Great Cormorant population, the Guernsey Seabird Monitoring Team (GSMT) arranged to begin a new project by colour ringing Great Cormorants nesting in the islands. Initially this study is being run in Guernsey, but if all goes well it could expand to include Jersey as well at a later date.

The project was formally initiated today when two members of the GSMT, with special permission from the authorities,  visited the principal colony to assess the season. It looks like another remarkably  early season, with some young already at least three quarters grown, while others are a matter of a few days old. Fifteen chicks were ringed with both a metal ring and a black colour ring (with a white double letter code). Hopefully we will add a  few more to this number over the next few weeks.

And so...the 2012 Seabird Monitoring Season is officially under way…and we are full of excitement and anticipation – eager to see which species are able to do well this year.