Last weekend, with the help of
the Alderney Wildlife Trust, I made my annual visit to Burhou to monitor the
breeding success of the Lesser Black-backed Gull colony (c 1,200 pairs). This is the first of several postings I will
make resulting from that visit.
In the main gull colony we found
a freshly dead Lesser Black-backed Gull (no sign of predation or oiling or
being hooked or caught in fishing line). The bird’s posture indicated that it
may have been killed in a territorial fight with another LBBG. Turning the bird
over, we saw the colour ring - Black 6.T5. This gull had been ringed as a chick
on Burhou in July 2010. It fledged successfully and was recorded at Quarteira
Beach in the Algarve, Portugal that October by Michael Davis. Unlike most of
our young gulls it did not however stay in Iberia, it continued into Africa and
was recorded on 15 February 2012 at Tanji Bird Reserve in The Gambia by Clive
Barlow. To date this is the most distant migration of any Lesser Black-backed
Gull ringed in the Channel Islands (a straight line distance from Burhou of
more than 4,250 km!). Although it is marvellous to know that this young gull
did make it all the way back to its natal colony, where it would most likely
have first bred this year or more likely next, I am really disappointed that
this great traveller is dead.
LBBG Black 6.T5 Quarteira October 2010 (c) Michael Davis
LBBG Black 6.T5 in illustrious company at Tanji Bird Reserve, The Gambia February 2012 (c) Clive Barlow
The ring from LBBG Black 6.T5 freshly dead on Burhou 12 July 2013 (c) PKV
The Movements of LBBG Black 6.T5
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