Lesser Black-backed Gulls on the move!

LBBG Black 3.F8 Odiel, Huelva Spain - Juan Sagardia

LBBG Black 3.F8 Chouet, Guernsey 31 July 10 - PKV 

LBBG Black 0.A0 Frouxeira - Antonio Gutierrez 

Black 0.A0 Burhou, Alderney 10 July 2009 - PKV 

LBBG Black 0.X5 Cadiz, Spain - Juan Sagardia 

LBBG Black 0.X5 Burhou 10 July 2009 - PKV 

LBBG Black 4.A0 Frouxeira - Antonio Gutierrez 

LBBG Black 4.A0 Burhou 13 June 2010 - Catherine Veron 

LBBG Black 2.X1 Frouxeira - Antonio Gutierrez

It is striking now how the large flocks of (700+) adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls at Chouet at the start of the month have now dwindled to around only 100 birds. Many of the birds, which I have come to recognise and know from their colour rings over the past two summers have now begun their migrations. To some extent the hole left by these birds is being filled by a smaller number of juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gulls, which includes birds fledged from the colonies on Sark and Burhou, Alderney in the Channel Islands. Further evidence that even the juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gulls are migrating was the sighting of Blue J+G – another bird from Peter Rock’s ringing projects in SW England.

While I shall miss the sight of large flocks of adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls in Guernsey for the next four-five months, it is very exciting to be receiving reports already that several of these birds have arrived in NW Spain and even SW Spain. Antonio Gutierrez is now finding some “Guernsey” colour-ringed gulls on virtually a daily basis on the beaches and lagoons of A Coruna, NW Spain, while Juan Sagardia has reported an adult and a 2nd calendar year bird from Cadiz in southern Spain. I last saw the adult (Black 3.F8) only six days earlier in Guernsey!

Antonio has also reported the first Guernsey juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull to be seen outside the Channel Islands. Black 4.H4 was seen and photographed on Meiras Beach, Valdovino, A Coruna on 15 August.

LBBG Black 4.H4 meiras Beach - Antonio Gutierrez