On Sunday the first storm of the autumn passed through Guernsey with rain all day and very strong winds overnight. With commitments in the early morning it was late afternoon on Monday by the time I could take a very quick run down the west coast. I've learnt now that storms tend to drive GBBGs in particular onto Guernsey's west coast. This gull is far more pelagic in nature than most people think...so it takes a good blow to drive them to the shelter of land! There was a significant increase in GBBGs along the coast - 300+ birds. Unfortunately over half were on L'Erée Aerodrome where legs were hidden by long grass. However...fortune was with me...and amongst the other half of the birds I found along the coast there were six foreign-ringed birds - one from Portland Harbour, Dorset, England (White P:43A), one from Looe island, Cornwall, England (L:AX6) and four from Seine-Maritime, France (Blue 93D, Blue 95D, Black 53G and Black 39L).
Bird of the day, however, was a juvenile intermedius Lesser Black-backed Gull (Black JA6V) ringed on 12 July 2012 at Tranvagen, Agotnes, Fjell, Hordaland, Norway by the Bergen Gull Ringing Team.
LBBG Black JA6V
Gulls on L'Erée Aerodrome
GBBG White L:AX6 (from Looe Island, Cornwall)
GBBG White P:43A (from Portland, Dorset)
GBBG Black 39L (from Seine-Maritime)
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