Norwegian and English LBBGs, French GBBGs and a Belgian Black-headed Gull - plus our first Cormorant Sighting outside the Island!

A couple of smallish gull flocks along the west coast this morning contained a Norwegian-ringed LBBG (Black J2842) and an English-ringed (Red DB.DS) LBBG: both on L'Eree, along with three well-known French-ringed Great Black-backed Gulls (Blue 30C, Blue 91D and Green K.51). Later in the morning Jamie Hooper saw Black-headed Gull Yellow EHSL, a juvenile bird ringed near Antwerp, Belgium this summer and originally seen in Guernsey at the end of August by Julian Medland.

Also today, we received our first sighting outside the island of one of our colour-ringed Great Cormorants (Black BA) (a project started only this year with 40 chicks being ringed). The bird was seen on the Loire River at Anetz, Loire-Atlantique, France by Pascal Bellion.

 LBBG Black J2842 from Vest-Agder, Norway

 LBBG Red DB.DS from Suffolk, England

 GBBG Blue 30C from Seine-Maritime, France

 GBBG Blue 91D from Seine-Maritime, France

 Great Cormorant Black BA 

Lithuanian Black-headed Gull returns to Alderney!

Last weekend I was in Alderney for a wedding so naturally I took the opportunity to check out the beaches of the northernmost Channel Island to search for colour ringed gulls. One of the first cr birds seen on Crabby Beach on 08 September was Black-headed Gull Black P547, a bird ringed as an adult at Dumpiai dump, Klaipėda, Lietuva, Lithuania in April 2010. I first saw this bird on the same beach in Alderney in August 2010. It is amazing to think that between my observations this gull has made two return trips to its breeding colony in Lithuania!

Amongst c 150 full-grown Lesser Black-backed Gulls seen on Crabby over the two days were 15 of my colour-ringed birds from Burhou, Alderney, including several birds that had been ringed as chicks in the summers of 2009 and 2010. One of the adult gulls was subsequently seen the very next day at Dawlish Warren, Devon (137 km distant in a straight line) by Lee Collins! There were also three of the 2012 Burhou chicks on the beaches, one of which was still begging enthusiastically from its parent! Finally three cr Great Black-backed Gulls were recorded, one of the 2012 chicks (which sadly looked rather ill with botulism), a 2012 chick from Chausey (Green L73) which I have already recorded in Guernsey, and a chick ringed on Looe Island, Cornwall, England (White L:AJ8) another immature bird which I’ve seen several times previously in Guernsey.

I made a quick trip down the west coast of Guernsey this morning before work to catch up with latest events. The Lesser Black-backed Gulls (c 500) were roosting on Perelle Beach, which is not the easiest for recording because many have their legs hidden in seaweed on the rocks. Notwithstanding this I recorded 18 of my cr LBBGs, along with ten GBBGs (five of which were of French origin – three from Le Havre, Seine-Maritime – Gilles Le Guillou) and two from Chausey Islands, Manche (Seb Provost and Fabrice Gallien).

 Sunrise over Herm 08 September 2012

 Black-headed Gull Black P547 Crabby, Alderney 08 September 2012

 LBBG Black 6AS2 Crabby, Alderney 09 September 2012

 Gulls Resting on Crabby Beach, Alderney 09 September 2012

Gulls resting on Perelle Beach, Guernsey 10 September 2012

LBBG from England, GBBG from France and ? from ?!

This morning’s run down the west coast before work looked like it was going to draw a complete blank...until I reached L’Eree...where the best Lesser Black-backed Gull flock of the autumn was gathered on the beach. There were c 500 birds, of which at least 100 were juveniles. 36 birds in the flock were colour-ringed- all “Guernsey Gulls” except Red DNDB (a chick ringed at Havergate Island, Suffolk, England in July 2012 – Mike Marsh). It is noticeable how some birds breeding on Burhou, Alderney stopover in Guernsey on their way south. As well as adults there were three immature LBBGs ringed as chicks on Burhou in 2009 and three chicks from 2010 on the beach this morning. These birds have presumably been at their natal colony for part of the summer, and are now moving south again with the adults. As in previous autumns hardly any Lesser Black-backed Gulls in these autumn flocks seem to visit Chouet Landfill. A visit there a couple of days ago resulted in only three LBBG colour ring sightings!

Also in the flock was a juvenile gull - Green XCDP - a bird I assumed to be another fuscus...but you know how I have been saying all summer that I can't recognise a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull...perhaps this is it?! Hopefully the ring will confirm (thanks to Kees for perhaps putting me on the right track!).

Amongst the handful of Great Black-backed Gulls on the beach, was another juvenile bird ringed on Chausey Islands, Manche, France – Green L24 (Fabrice Gallien). Finally of note was a single 2^nd cy Common Gull.

Migration at its Most Exciting - the flight of LBBG Black 1AA5!

Lesser Black-backed Gull Black 1.AA5 is an adult which breeds in Guernsey, but winters in central Spain. I last recorded it in Guernsey on 16 August 2012 - then on 31 August it was seen by Tono Salazar at Comillas Beach, Cantabria on the north coast of Spain - a straight line distance of 693 km from Chouet, Guernsey: a very nice observation, but not a record breaker for we now have a number of records of our LBBGs reaching NW Spain within 72 hours of their last sighting in Guernsey. However...Black 1AA5 was obviously in a hurry to reach its wintering grounds for the very next day it was seen by Miguel Juan and Juan Ruiz at Colmenar Viejo Landfill, Madrid a straight line distance of 307 km! Another inspirational example of avian migration at its best! 

LBBG Black 1AA5 at Chouet on 16 August 2012 shortly before it migrated south to Iberia.

The First Good Run Down the West Coast of the Autumn

After a couple of false starts I enjoyed a superb hour down the west coast of Guernsey before work today. At last I managed to find the gull flocks on the beaches and in range for checking. Amongst the c450 LBBGs seen were 27 colour-ringed birds including several adults and two juveniles from the Channel Islands’ most important colony on Burhou, Alderney. I was also very pleased to see Orange 9V a Dutch bird ringed as an adult by Roland-Jan Buijs in 2006 at the large colony at Moerdijk and seen now for the past three autumns on migration through Guernsey. It is remarkable how site faithful some of these adult gulls are on migrations!

Great Black-backed Gulls were thin on the ground today, but amongst the 50 birds seen was a bird from Looe, Island, Cornwall, England (White L:AD0).

More Yellow-legged Gulls at Chouet

Another very enjoyable couple of hours at Chouet this morning gave very nice views of another two Yellow-legged Gulls - an adult and a third calendar year bird (Euring age code 7). Otherwise fairly quiet with c 150 cr reads on Herring Gulls and only a few cr Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

 Adult Yellow-legged Gull

 3rd Calendar Year (Euring Age 7) Yellow-legged Gull

 Chouet Landfill - few LBBGs!

 LBBG Black 0.F3 Chouet Landfill 01 September 2012

 LBBG Black 0F3 Burhou, Alderney July 2009

Burhou's 2012 LBBG Chicks Reach Spain!

Within the last 24 hours I've had welcome news from José Vidal and Antonio Gutierrez that two of the 202 Lesser Black-backed Gull chicks colour-ringed on Burhou, Alderney this summer have reached the beaches of NW Spain. Yesterday José saw Black 0AN0 on Meiras Beach, while today Antonio photographed Black 7AP0 on Esmelle Beach, A Coruna.

 LBBG Black 0AN0 Meiras Beach, Spain (c) José Vidal

 LBBG Black 0AN0 as chick on Burhou (c) PKV

 LBBG Black 7AP0 Esmelle, Spain (c) Antonio Gutierrez

LBBG Black 7AP0 as a chick on Burhou (c) PKV

Chouet Landfill Turns Grey (Not Black)

Early this morning I spent 90 minutes in Chouet Landfill - and wow...what a change from my last visit only 12 days earlier - the great swathes of Lesser Black-backed Gulls have gone...there were perhaps a maximum of just over 140 birds present (including 14 cr birds). Herring Gulls are still very much in evidence - so the site now has a pale grey covering when the birds are feeding or settled on the ground or windrows. At least two adult Yellow-legged Gulls were present again...I simply must be missing the juvenile birds! The other significant change today was a noticeable increase in Great Black-backed Gulls to almost 100 birds - which included no fewer then five colour-ringed birds from Chausey Islands, Manche, France (Seb Provost); interestingly these five birds were from four different year cohorts (2012 - two and one each from 2011, 2010 and 2009).

 Above Green cr GBBGs from Chausey Islands - Seb Provost 

 Yellow cr GBBGs from Guernsey

Yellow-legged Gull  all photos (c) PKV

A Lot of News!

Within the past few days I’ve just returned from a very nice week on holiday in the French Alps, where Nutcrackers, Alpine Choughs and Crag Martins made a very pleasant change from Guernsey’s birds. However, while I’ve been away lots has been happening with our gulls both at home and abroad! At home the pattern has now changed there are few Lesser Black-backed Gulls on the northern beaches. The birds that remain in the Islands are mainly to be found in flocks along the west coast, particularly at Vazon, Perelle and L’Eree beaches, although often the flock is found roosting on L’Eree Aerodrome (no longer in use) where the grass is too long to be able to read rings. So now for the next 6 weeks or so I have to drive further and check more beaches. This is the pattern that emerges each autumn at this time. 

The majority of the breeding LBBGs have now left Guernsey, with reports coming in daily now from NW Spain mainly from Antonio Gutierrez and José Vidal, but also from other observers. One LBBG recently made the 1,000 km flight in a maximum of three days! The birds which have been arriving in NW Spain throughout the past month are continuing their migrations with more and more being reported from Portugal. In fact Tim Van Nus reported 30 Guernsey colour ringed LBBGs from a single site (Taboeira Landfill, Aveiro) on 24 August – a record number of Guernsey birds abroad in one site! 

Today Antonio reported the first 2012 LBBG chick (from Sark) at Esmelle Beach, A Coruna. Strangely none of the 202 LBBG chicks colour ringed on Burhou, Alderney this summer has yet been reported overseas. 

It is also apparent that many of the Herring Gulls nesting in the islands have also left the Islands. So far the reports of these gulls have come mainly from the north-east coasts of France from Manche through Calvados as far as Somme…but soon most of the foreign reports are likely to be from Vendee and Charente-Maritime. 

Great Black-backed Gulls are beginning to wander with two 2012 chicks from the Chausey islands, Manche being seen on the island, while several of our immature birds are being reported from SW England, including the first 2012 chick. 

Finally Julian Medland recently saw a colour ringed 1^st year Black-headed Gull, which was ringed earlier this summer near Antwerp, Belgium. All in all an exciting time for gull movements!

Pantín Beach, A Coruna, Spain (c) Antonio Gutierrez - this explains why LBBGs are much less numerous in Guernsey now!