Another good session at Chouet

A couple of hours at Chouet landfill this morning was very rewarding with 240 cr reads - all local birds except two French-ringed Great Black-backed Gulls, which are well known at the site (Green E.71 and Blue 47D). A couple of new juvenile Herring Gulls included birds ringed on Breniere, Sark (7.AC4) and Lihou, Guernsey (6.AV9).

Herring Gulls on the move

Herring Gull White 2.AF7 Chew Valley Lake, Somerset, England - 28/07/10 - Len Ingram

It is quite noticeable now that Herring Gulls from Guernsey are becoming more mobile - with almost 10 reports in the past week or so from Jersey, Channel Islands, and in the last few days four more distant sightings. Len Ingram took the above very nice photo of White 2.AF7 at Chew Valley Lake, Somerset, England, while there have also been reports of gulls ringed in May 2010 in Guernsey from Heauville, Manche, France (Eric Robbe), Barfleur Port, Manche, France (Samuel Crestey) and  Omaha Beach, Vierville-sur-Mer, Calvados, France.

More ring reads at Chouet Landfill

Chouet Landfill - 29 July 10 - PKV

Viewing conditions at Chouet landfill were again excellent this morning, and an hour before work was very productive. Herring Gulls dominated on the tipping face, while the Lesser Black-backed Gulls nipped in quickly for thier feeds and then settled on quiet areas on the landfill (as it was near high tide). 128 ring reads were taken - including two partial reads of British metal-ringed Lesser Black-backed Gulls (both birds can be narrowed to within 100 birds).

Black 2.C3 showed characteristics in the hand when ringed of being a hybrid Lesser Black-backed x Herring Gull - so it will be interesting to see how its plumage develops over time! - PKV

LBBG Black 4.C1 ringed on nesting grounds on Burhou on 13 June 10 - PKV

Another fine morning at Chouet

LBBG White 7.T2 - Chouet Landfill - PKV

A couple of hours before work at Chouet Landfill yesterday once again proved most productive with another 140 gull colour ring reads.  Just over 100 of these were Herring Gulls, with 33 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and the rest Great Black-backed Gulls. Apart from one of the English-ringed Lesser Black-backed Gull (Blue CHN), which nests in Guernsey and one Jersey-ringed Herring Gull (Green BTJ) all the birds were of local origin. There were a few more juvenile gulls on Chouet Landfill Beach in particular, but no new colour-ringed birds of the year were recorded today.

More Gulls on the move

It is now an interesting time with gulls beginning to move around after the breeding season. Reports today include another half a dozen Herring Gulls ringed in Guernsey, which are now in Jersey, Channel Islands as well as Herring Gull White 3.JJ5 which has been reported almost 400 km to the south at La Morelière, Saint Denis D'Oleron, Charente-Maritime, France (Loic Jomat), and Lesser Black-backed Gull White 3.U2, which has been seen at Esmelle Beach, Ferrol, A Coruna, Spain (Paco Veiga).

Lesser Black-backed Gull 3.U2 Esmelle Beach, Spain 24 July 10 - Paco Veiga

Another 3rd Calendar Year Lesser Black-backed Gull returns Home

Lesser Black-backed Gull White 6.Z7 Chouet, Guernsey - 22 July 2010 - PKV

One of the Lesser Black-backed Gulls recently seen on the north coast of Guernsey by Eric Robbe and me was White 6.Z7 - a bird in its 3rd calendar year. This gull had been ringed as a chick on 08/07/08 in one of the Sark colonies. It was then seen by Michel Fouquet in Vendee, France on 30/31/07/09 and by Javier Gil Vaquero in Asturias, Spain on 02/09/09.

I presume that this gull has visited its natal colony on Sark this summer, ahead of  returning again next year when it may make a breeding attempt.

Herring Gull White 6.PP1 Back in Guernsey

Herring Gull White 6.PP1 - Chouet landfill - PKV

Two days after being reported at Portland Bill, Dorset, England, Herring Gull White 6.PP1 was back in Guernsey. It was one of 236 colour ringed gulls recorded in Chouet Landfill this morning in a couple of hours. For the first time just over 200 cr Herring Gulls were recorded, and there were also 31 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and four Great Black-backed Gulls (including a 2009 chick from Chausey Islands, Manche, France (Seb Provost) - which I have not seen since 17 April 2010).

Chouet Landfill - 24 July 10

Chouet Landfill 24 July 10

Gulls Gulls Gulls!

Herring Gull White 6.PP1 Portland Bill - Martin Cade

With 184 gull ring reads from yesterday, and a further 148 today (all with Eric Robbe), I am now running behind with the computer work - so another short blog entry today.

The first colour ringed juvenile gulls are now on the beaches - yesterday we recorded one Lesser Black-backed Gull juvenile from one of the Sark colonies, as well as two Herring Gulls from Jethou. Today we had the first juvenile cr Great Black-backed Gull. Hopefully over the next few weeks I will record many more!

News in today of Herring Gull 6.PP1 at Portland Bill, Dorset, England (Martin Cade), and Lesser Black-backed Gulls Black 2.H0 and White 3.Z5 at the landfills around Gloucester, England (John Sanders).

Mediterranean Gull follows Eric to Guernsey!

Mediterranean Gull White 3E90 - Bellegreve Bay, Guernsey - PKV

It is very nice that Eric Robbe and Maryline have come to Guernsey for a few days. Eric sees some "Guernsey" Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls at Heauville, Manche, France, and he and Maryline were very kind to Catherine and me when we visited Normandy last autumn.

Eric and I have been out recording gull colour rings these past few mornings - and we have seen more than 300 rings - so it is very busy. Some details to follow in the next few days.

However, it was funny today that we saw Mediterranean Gull White 3E90, which has been seen in Guernsey every autumn since 2006 (having been ringed as a chick in Zandvlietsluis, Antwerpen, Belgium in 2002). Eric saw this very gull last autumn (after it left Guernsey) at Heauville, Manche, France!

Puzzling movement of Lesser Black-backed Gull

Bishop's Cleeve Landfill, Cheltenham, England - November 2009 - John Sanders

A few days ago John Sanders informed me that Lesser Black-backed Gull Black 2.C2 was at Bishop's Cleeve Landfill, Gloucestershire, England. This gull had been ringed as an advanced immature (age 8 immature) male at Chouet landfill on 27 May 2010.  I assume that it is not yet breeding, but is likely to do so next year here in Guernsey.

To my surprise Black 2.C2 re-appeared this morning at Chouet landfill Beach, Guernsey - so his trip to England - 272 km in a straight line - (this time at least) has been very short. This is by no means exceptional. The more my gull studies progress the more such journeys are being revealed. Clearly a flight of 272 km is not much effort for these birds!

Another 140 Gull Ring Reads

I intended to visit Chouet landfill yesterday morning to check the gulls. However, many of the gulls were feeding quickly and then coming onto Chouet Landfill Beach to bathe and then loaf. As a result I stayed at the beach for a couple of hours - managing to read another 140 or so gull rings - including a record setting 44 Lesser Black-backed Gulls. With the tide rising photographic opportunities were also quite good. The only non-locally ringed gull (apart from a Belgian metal ringed Lesser Black-backed Gull which I could not get the complete number of), was the long-staying Great Black-backed Gull from Seine-Maritime, France - Blue 47D.

LBBG E 2606