A "New" First Record of Scandinavian Herring Gull in Guernsey!

Only on 11 January this year I posted an blog on the first recorded observation of a Scandinavian race Herring Gull (Larus argentatus argentatus) in the Channel Islands.This refereed to a bird that had been colour ringed up in Arctic Norway, and seen several times in January 2014 at Chouet in Guernsey. However, this week I received a very exciting record, and excellent photo, from Ingar Bringsvor of Herring Gull White 7CW6 at Sandshamn, Sandoya, Norway. This gull had been ringed on 21 May 2012 at Chouet Landfill, and is therefore now the first record of argentatus in Guernsey (even though we did not assign the bird to this race when ringed as part of a large catch taken in a cannon net!). This is  much more surprising record because this Scandinavian bird was ringed in full adult plumage in Guernsey in May, and must therefore either have been a young bird in its last year before breeding, or a full adult which was taking a year out of nesting, and which was taking advantage of the organic food supply at Chouet. Interestingly though I did not record this gull in Guernsey again after ringing.

Herring Gull White 7CW6 at Sandshamn, Norway (c) Ingar Bringsvor

The Movement of Herring Gull White 7CW6