Ring Reading Record Smashed Again!

Last Friday, with a good combination of tide and weather, I smashed my previous record for LBBG sightings, with 211 recorded in a couple of hours at Chouet. In addition I recorded c 50 Herring Gulls and a handful of GBBGs (including two French and the long-staying Norwegian bird). This is probably about as good as it gets, because after recording this lot I definitely needed to rest my eyes and get a cup of coffee! Many of the birds were at close range too, but I was very focused on ring reading rather than photography  It is important to record as many of my birds back in the Islands as possible and the weekend provided the sort of opportunity not to be missed. On Saturday  Chris Mourant and I tried to ring some gulls in the landfill, but once again they were not at all interested. The following day, Chris, Catherine, Sophie and I managed to begin the 2013 Seabird Monitoring with a quick trip out to one of the Great Cormorant colonies, where we ringed ten chicks.

 Gulls on Chouet Beach

 Gulls on Chouet Landfill Beach

Great Cormorants Black CK & CL

Sophie with Great Cormorant Black CF

Do Sibling Gulls Migrate Together?

I don't know the answer to this question, but have always thought it most unlikely. However, in the past week Juan Ruiz of the Madrid Gull Team has reported both Lesser Black-backed Gulls Black 1AS9 and Black 2AS0 at Pinto Landfill, Madrid. Often I do not know which gulls are siblings because they are running around in bracken away from the nests when we ring them, but with these two gulls there is a very high likelihood that they are from the same nest. Both were ringed on Burhou, Alderney on 14 July 2012. Is it pure coincidence that they are both now at the same landfill in central Spain in the same week, or have they travelled south together? Hopefully over the months ahead we may get more reports of these gulls and be able to shed a little more light on this little mystery of migration.

LBBGs Black 1AS9 and 2AS0 on Burhou - July 2012 (c) PKV

Another Norwegian LBBG at Chouet

On a generally quieter morning than yesterday at Chouet, the highlight amongst the c 100 colour ringed LBBGs recorded was Blue J1CX. This gull was ringed as a chick on Rauna, Vest-Agder, Norway in July 2005, and had only been recorded once before today, at Namur, Belgium on 14 July 2007.

LBBG Blue J1CX at Chouet (c) PKV

A New Record for LBBG Colour Ring Reads at Chouet

Although the weather was dull this morning, Chouet landfill Beach was on fire...back to its very best (after a somewhat quiet start to the spring). A new record of 147 colour rings were read on Lesser Black-backed Gulls (all local birds...except one metal ring London GC76778). In addition 51 Herring Gull rings were read, including Pale Blue B67A (ringed at Le Havre, Seine-Maritime, France). Only three GBBG rings were read, and two of these were  metal rings - the birds having been ringed locally as chicks in 2006 and 2007. A beautiful 2nd winter Yellow-legged Gull completed a stunning early morning at Chouet.

 2nd winter Yellow-legged Gull

 Chouet Landfill Beach

 LBBG London GC76778

 Herring Gull Pale Blue B67A

 GBBGS Jersey J0076 & J0583

Gulls in the Rain

A day full of rain today, but it didn't put the gulls off their courtship at Chouet. Another morning with more than 100 colour-ringed LBBGs recorded, along with smaller numbers of Herring and GBBGs (including a few French and English birds).

GBBG White P:12A at Chouet (ringed at Portland Harbour) (c) PKV

Another Fine Morning with LBBGs at Chouet

This morning I focused on LBBGs at Chouet landfill, recording another 130 of our colour-ringed birds, along with Orange T121 the bird ringed by Vicente López Alcazar in Salamanca, Spain last December  and now building a history of sightings in Guernsey this spring. It must be one of our locally breeding birds. I also recorded c 60 Herring Gull rings and 17 GBBGs, including E5508, which I ringed as a chick on Herm in July 1993!

LBBG Orange T121 at Chouet (c) PKV