Iceland and Yellow-legged Gulls at Chouet landfill...and the Return of lots of LBBGs!

Gull watching rarely gets better than it did this morning. Almost three hours in Paradise (well...OK Chouet Landfill actually...but it may as well have been Paradise!). It was just so good to be watching more than 150 LBBGs again, after their winter absence. Amongst them were 60+ colour ringed birds, many of which will have been recorded in Iberia or France this winter. The early morning rain and drizzle and all the mud could not dampen my spirits...it's always a fabulous feeling to welcome these gulls back home at the start of each season.
As if this was not enough excitement I also got very close and prolonged views of a 1st Winter Iceland Gull and a 2nd Winter Yellow-legged Gull.

 1st W Iceland Gull

 GBBG Black JJ048 (from Hordaland, Norway)

 Chouet Landfill

LBBGs Back Home for another Season!

First CI ringed LBBG Reported from Mauretania!

Very exciting news was received today from Dutch ornithological researcher Tom van Spanje who, together with Mammadou Hamat Ndongo, observed a Guernsey-ringed Lesser Black-backed Gull in Mauretania – our first report from this country! In fact only one other Channel Islands’-ringed LBBG has been reported further south than this gull (a chick ringed on Burhou in July 2010 which wintered in The Gambia before returning to its natal colony where it was found dead last summer). B3AH8 was  watched on Wharf Beach in Mauretania's capital city of Nouakchott – more than 3,700 km from its place of ringing at Chouet Landfill. It will be very interesting to see where this bird may be reported during the summer of 2014, so that we can know if this is a locally breeding gull, or one that was ringed while still on passage through Guernsey in May 2012.

The Migration of LBBG Black 3AH8

LBBGs (incl. B3AH8)  at Wharf Beach, Nouakchott, Mauretania (c) Tom van Spanje

A "New" First Record of Scandinavian Herring Gull in Guernsey!

Only on 11 January this year I posted an blog on the first recorded observation of a Scandinavian race Herring Gull (Larus argentatus argentatus) in the Channel Islands.This refereed to a bird that had been colour ringed up in Arctic Norway, and seen several times in January 2014 at Chouet in Guernsey. However, this week I received a very exciting record, and excellent photo, from Ingar Bringsvor of Herring Gull White 7CW6 at Sandshamn, Sandoya, Norway. This gull had been ringed on 21 May 2012 at Chouet Landfill, and is therefore now the first record of argentatus in Guernsey (even though we did not assign the bird to this race when ringed as part of a large catch taken in a cannon net!). This is  much more surprising record because this Scandinavian bird was ringed in full adult plumage in Guernsey in May, and must therefore either have been a young bird in its last year before breeding, or a full adult which was taking a year out of nesting, and which was taking advantage of the organic food supply at Chouet. Interestingly though I did not record this gull in Guernsey again after ringing.

Herring Gull White 7CW6 at Sandshamn, Norway (c) Ingar Bringsvor

The Movement of Herring Gull White 7CW6

The Flood Gates Begin to Open and an Immaculate michahellis

It's been a few days since I've been out gull watching...but it is clear from an hour this morning at Chouet landfill Beach that the flood gates are beginning to open and the Lesser Black-backed Gulls are just beginning to pour back home for another season! Of the c 40 LBBGs at Chouet this morning, 15 were locally colour ringed birds, and several of these were known to be wintering in Iberia as far south as Quarteira Beach in the Algarve. Amazingly I had seen several of these gulls over the winter on my trips to Portugal. So...despite the continuing very wet and windy weather I have a big smile on my face today - the season is upon us!

Another highlight at Chouet this morning was an immaculate adult Yellow-legged Gull. 

 LBBG Black 7AT6

 Gulls at Chouet

(A Shy) Adult Yellow-legged Gull Chouet

Too Eager To Get Back Home?!

I've commented before on this blog about how some of the first returning LBBGs each year, spend a short time back on the island no doubt visiting their breeding colony...before flying back south a short distance for a few days or even a week or two...before returning in earnest for the season. Sure enough another of my first cr LBBG seen back in Guernsey this year- Black 4AV6 appears to be doing just this. Recorded back at Chouet on 11 and 15 January, it was back in Northern France (at Gueltas Landfill, Morbihan) on 28 January (Yves Blat). This is very similar to LBBG Black 8AN0 (see posting for 16 January 2014)

LBBG Black 4AV6's return visit to France this month

Return of an Old Favourite!

It has been difficult to get out recording gulls recently, but a quick trip to Chouet Landfill Beach yesterday morning produced two LBBG cr observations (from only six birds). One of these gulls had not been recorded since leaving Guernsey the previous autumn, but Black 3.H2 is rather special because I last saw this bird 1,100 km away at Eirol Landfill, Aveiro, Portugal on 11 November 2013!

LBBG Black 3.H2 in Guernsey (c) PKV

Migrations of LBBG Black 3.H2 

Another 1,000km + Herring Gull

While our gull research projects are still relatively young, we do know that few of our locally breeding Herring Gulls disperse as far as 1,000km from the Channel Islands. However, White 5CK9 is one such bird! Ringed at Chouet Landfill in May 2011, this bird probably nests on Sark. It has already been seen at Coruna, Spain by Juan Cabeza (09/02/2013), but I've just received a report from Helder Vieira that this bird is now in Porto, Portugal - see below!

The Movements of Herring Gull White 5CK9

Herring Gull White 5CK9

Date	Reporting Circumstance	Location	Country	Observer	From First KM	Days Elapsed
18/05/2011	initial ringing	Chouet Landfill	GUERNSEY	Veron; Paul et al
26/06/2012	colour ring sighting	Sark Harbour	SARK	Veron; Paul K	17	405
09/02/2013	colour ring sighting	Boca do Rio, Porto do Son, A Coruna	SPAIN	Cabeza; Juan	903	633
24/01/2014	colour ring sighting	Aguda; Porto	PORTUGAL	Vieira; Helder	1054	982

St Peter Port Harbour or Peterhead?!

Most of my gulling this weekend has been spent watching the adult Kumlien's Gull and 2nd W Glaucous Gull in St Peter Port Harbour. Stunning views were obtained of both gulls, sometimes both in the same field of view. Watching these two stunning "white-wingers" flying around our Fish Quay made me wonder if this was some bizarre dream...and I was actually 1,000 km further north at the legendary (for white-winged gulls) harbour at Peterhead in NE Scotland. I'm not aware of any previous opportunity in Guernsey to see Kumlien's and Glaucous Gulls in Guernsey in the same field of view...and I wonder how many years it will be again before this wondrous sight is repeated here?! The photos below show nothing more than the atmosphere...although the eagle-eyed amongst you will probably be able to find the Kumlien's Gull. For what the birds truly look like...far better to see Anthony Loaring's photos in the previous blog posting!

A Trio of Top Quality Gulls in Guernsey

The past couple of weeks have seen three very welcome scarce gulls showing very well in Guernsey. In the last few days of December 2013 we had a 1stW Little Gull on the Island's West Coast, with a 2nd W Glaucous Gull at Chouet. The latter has subsequently moved to St Peter Port Harbour where it has been showing very well. It was joined this week by an adult Kumlien's (Iceland) Gull. My thanks to local photographer Tony Loaring for some nice photos of all three birds!

 Glaucous Gull

 Kumlien's (Iceland) Gull

Little Gull 

All Photos (c) Anthony Loaring

Is that a Glaucous Gull on my Car?

This morning I took a trip to the Town Harbour to look for the Glaucous and Kumlien's Gulls that have been around for the past few days. While there was no sign of the Kumlien's, I couldn't really miss the Glaucous Gull...although I'm not sure who was looking at who...see photos below.

Glaucous Gull - Who's Looking at Who? (c) PKV

A Hint to the Possible Origins of Yellow-legged Gulls in Guernsey?

A bold title considering we have only colour-ringed three Yellow-legged Gulls so far in Guernsey! However...such is the success of colour ringing as a research tool that we already have observations of two of the three gulls outside the Islands! White 1FC1 was ringed at Chouet Landfill as an adult male on 24 May 2012. Its only other sighting so far has been on 13 December 2012 at Blaringhem, Nord, France (Harry Vercruijsse).

Perhaps more intriguing is Black 1AT2 ringed as a juvenile male on 29 July 2012 in our garden near Chouet. I saw it a couple of times until early September, then on 05 January 2014 it turned up at Tarragona Harbour, NE Spain, where it has been recorded eight times (most recently on 11 January 2014) - (Albert Cama, Raul Aymi, Pau Lucio and Pauly Matxalen). The bird has also ventured south to Gandia Harbour, Valencia. This is probably an Iberian-bred michahellis which moved north shortly after fledging. Hopefully the bird will be seen for many years to come, confirming its breeding colony. As bird watchers in Guernsey will be aware Yellow-legged Gulls are becoming much more regular in the Channel Islands in recent years.

 Yellow-legged Gull W1FC1 Chouet landfill (c) PKV

Yellow-legged Gull W1FC1 Blaringham Landfill, Nord, France (c) Harry Vercruijsse)

Movement of Yellow-legged Gull W1FC1

 Yellow-legged Gull B1AT2 at Ty Coed and Chouet July - September 2012 (c) PKV

Yellow-legged Gull B1AT2 Tarragona harbour 11 January 2014 (c) Raul Aymi

Movements of Yellow-legged Gull B1AT2 

The only other Yellow-legged Gull colour ringed in Guernsey (White 1CA9) is also giving very valuable data on the movements of this species with sightings now in Guernsey every year since ringing in May 2011 at Chouet landfill.

Yellow-legged Gull W1CA9 at Chouet landfill (c) PKV

Here Today...Gone Tomorrow...Back Next Week?!

It's a familiar story now...some of our earliest returning Lesser Black-backed Gulls arrive back in the Islands, take a look at their breeding colonies...and then decide that after all there's really no rush to take up their territory and so they move back south for a few more days or a week or two (not longer). And so it is with Black 8AN0 - the first cr gull of the season seen on 04 January by Julian Medland. I don't know where this gull wintered...but it was not in the Channel Islands. Last night I received news that gull enthusiast Alain Fossé had seen this gull on 15 January at Champteusse-sur-Baconne Landfill, Maine-et-Loire, France - a straight line distance of 250 km from Guernsey. The insights that colour rings give us into the lives and ecologies of our nesting gulls are truly amazing!

The Recent Flight South-east of LBBG Black 8AN0

Spring arrives in Guernsey!

When I studied passerines, spring was often heralded by the first returning Common Chiffchaff or Northern Wheatear...but for me these days...this honour goes to the first Lesser Black-backed Gull which is known to have wintered south of Guernsey. This year the first colour ringed bird back is Black 8AA9,  an adult male ringed in May 2011. This bird has spent each of the last three winters around the Aviles estuary, Asturias, Spain. I first saw this gull back on 16 March in 2012, then 21 February in 2013...so this year is the earliest return so far recorded. It was last seen at Aviles on 31 December 2013.

 LBBG Black 8AA9 at Chouet in March 2012

LBBG Black 8AA9 at Zeluan Beach, Aviles, Spain (c) Ivan Díaz Pallares

LBBG B8AA9's Annual Migrations 2011-2014

New Year = New URL for GuernseyGulls Web Portal

Many regular observers of Guernsey colour-ringed Gulls will know that colour ring observations can be reported direct on line, with instant access to the bird's present (and future) life history. This important innovation was made possible through local digital map company Digimap Ltd. With a new year the URL for this web service has moved to

http://birdrings.digimap.gg/Default.aspx

For a short period both the old URL and the new one will work, but early in the year Digimap will switch off the old one...so please update your favourite to the new web site. There is a note with the new URL at the former URL.

Many thanks and please keep your gull cr observations coming! Many thanks! Paul