...and another British cr Lesser Black-backed Gull

It was very nice today to do some gull watching with Dave Murray, who lives in Cheshire, England but who is on holiday for a few days in Guernsey. Dave has seen some of my Guernsey-ringed Lesser Black-backed Gulls while on holiday in Malaga, Spain. We went down the island's west coast, counting 230+ adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls, which included a couple of my adults ringed as breeding birds on Burhou, Alderney. Amongst the birds at Rocquaine Bay was Blue HLZ. Amazingly I had seen this adult LBBG on passage in Guernsey the previous year on 22 August (at Chouet Landfill).

LBBG Blue HLZ Rocquaine Bay - 18 September 2010 - PKV

LBBG Blue HLZ Chouet landfil 22 August 2009 - PKV

This gull was ringed in May 2009 as an adult at Gloucester Landfill, England (Severn Estuary Gull Group), and was subsequently seen several times there in July 2009. Following the sighting last autumn in Guernsey, John Sanders has seen this gull again this summer at the landfills around Gloucester (from 25 June to 04 September). These records indicate that this is a bird which nests in SW England.

Other highlights included two French-colour-ringed Great Black-backed Gulls - both known birds here - Green E.78 (Chausey Islands, France - Seb Provost) and Blue 94C Le Havre, Seine-Maritime, France (Gilles Le Guillou).

Black-headed Gull White TARM (Poland) was also still at Bellegreve Bay today shortly after dawn.



Bellegreve Bay at dawn - PKV