Latest sightings from our Gulls covering three of the English south coast counties and Brittany.

All Great Black Backed Gulls in date order.

25th July P:38B seen at West Bexington Beach n the Jurassic Coast by Mike Morse.

                                                                     Photo Mike Morse

Previously seen at Shoreham Sussex Calvados and Normandy France.

27th July P:16B seen at L'Abbesse  Plougasnou Brittany by Jean Roger Perrot. Also regular along the South coast of Devon and Cornwall.

28th July another one of ours P:18C  at West Bexington Beach seen by Mike Morse . This is the second sighting since ringing in June 2019. First sighting was at Dawlish Devon in 2019.

30th July evening P:66D seen at Slapton Sands Devon by Perry Sanders. Another second sighting since ringing, the previous was in 2020.

We have completed the ringing of Gull Pulli for this year on the Break Waters of Portland Harbour Dorset.

Thanks to permission from and transport provided by the Portland Harbour Authority.

 

Herring Gull 13 ringed with metal and colour rings

Great Black Backed Gulls 89 ringed with a metal ring, 65 of  which also have colour rings.

 A little behind with our posts time to catch up.

Ian MacLean sighted Great Black Backed Gull P:62A making a return visit to the Devon Axe Estuary seen on the 13th July. More commonly seen in land on the Somerset Dorset border near to Chard, on the reservoirs.

In June Wayne Turner made a visit to Lihou island off the coast of Guernsey to see if he could find any evidence of GBBGull P:43A breeding over there. Wayne returned twice in July no success on the first visit although a better result on the 14th July.

On this visit to the possible nest site he found P:43A and a Pulli within some 20 metres of each other and the nest, but no sign of the possible female. We are little nearer to claiming the first record of a Portland gull breeding, but not close enough that will have to wait for next years breeding season.potentially the nest site

                                                               Pulli but who is the parents?

Photos Wayne Turner.

 Herring Gull 816 ringed as a Pulli in June 2019 has given us just two sightings so far, the first was in 2020 seen at Lower Compton Waste transfer site near Bristol.

Now we have the second sighting back in Dorset at West Bexington Beach on the Chesil Bank part of the Jurassic Coast.

Seen there on the 8th July by Mike John Morse.

                                                         Photo Mike John Morse

 Great Black backed Gull P:56D is a devotee of Cornwall, normally seen at Southerly point on the Lizard or Newlyn Harbour.

On the 2nd July P:56D was sighted on the Reef at Porthleven Cornwall. Sighting passed to us by Mark Grantham West Cornwall Ringing Group.

 Thanks to Wayne Turners efforts and a walk across the causeway to Lihou island off the coast of Guernsey. There is the possibility of the first record of a Portland GBBGull breeding.

Wayne found GBBGP:43A with mate who was sitting it appeared on eggs in a nest on the 28th June. Wayne will return at a later date to see if it is possible to confirm breeding.

in the meantime.....