Great Black Backed gull P:38B is a well travelled Gull.

Ringed as a Pulli June 2015

Sightings from
Portland August 2015
The River Adur Shoreham Dec 2015
At Courseulles sur Mer Calvados August 2018
Portland November 2018
Back at Courseulles sur Mer Calvados August 2019

Sighting by Fabrice Gallien and forwarded to us by Jacques Coatmeur

The West Cornwall Ringing group have sent in a sighting of Great Black Backed Gull P:16B seen on the 21st August at Falmouth Docks, having moved along the Cornish coast from Coverack Cornwall.

Some colour ringed Gulls generate sightings on a regular basis, where others drop out of sight for several years with no news of their whereabouts.

One such Gull is Great Black Back P:32A ringed in June 2012 one of our first Gulls.

First sighting was from Omaha Beach Calvados France in August 2013, followed by a visit to Chouet Beach in Guernsey Channel Islands during October 2013. Then nothing until February 2016 when it visited the Otter Estuary in Devon, followed by a visit to the Axe Estuary also in Devon Sept 2016.

Then again nothing until 27th August 2019 when it was seen by Paul Davy on the Waltham Brooks Nature reserve in West Sussex.

Great Black Backed Gull P:78C has made a return visit to Bolougne sur mer seen on the beach there.

Sighting by Eric Petit- Bergham on the 21st August 2019, originally ringed in June 2018.

Previous sightings on Guernsey CI in November 2018 and Bolougne in June 2019.

Dave Bishop had another first sighting from this years fledglings, a Great Black Backed Gull ringed in June this year on the Portland Break Waters.
Great Black Backed Gull P:17D was seen just across Portland Harbour at Ferry Bridge on the 12th August.

Wayne Turner had another sighting of P:73C on the 14th August this time at Perelle Beach still on Guernsey.

Dave Bishop sighted P:11D on the 16th August in Lyme Bay at Chesil Cove a popular place for Sea Birds seen on the 16th August 2019.

Great Black Backed Gull P:73C is once more back at Chouet Landfill on Guernsey seen 12th August by Wayne Turner.

                                                              Photo Wayne Turner ©

Dave Bishop has given us our first sighting of one of this years fledgling Gulls from the Portland Harbour Break Waters.

Herring Gull 814 ringed 27th June and sighted at Ferrybridge on the 9th August. Not a vast distance just across Portland Harbour, although possibly its first major flight since taking to the air for the first time.

Deborah Saunders sighted on of last years Great Black Backed Gulls P:11D also at Ferrybridge on the same day 9th August.

                                                    Deborah Saunders ©

Mark Grantham from the West Cornwall Ringing Group sent in sightings of our Gulls.

Great Black Backed Gull P:89 seen 6th August at Southerly Point on the Lizard Cornwall
Great Black Backed Gull P:16B seen 8th August back at Coverack Cornwall


Another of Gulls has returned to one of its regular spots P:48B seen at West Bexington Dorset on the 8th August by Mike John Morse.

                                                         Mike John Morse ©

Ian MacLean has sent in three sightings from the Devon Axe Estuary.

Great Black Backed Gull P:62A has returned to the Axe Estuary after spending some time near to Chard on the Somerset Dorset Border seen on the 10th July.

Two Herring Gulls ringed in Seaton were also seen, HG 476 on the  9th & 22nd July and HG 478 on the 3rd July.

Chouet Landfill on the Island of Guernsey is officially closed but not to Gulls, two of our Great Black Backed Gulls are regular's to the Island.

Great Black Backed Gull P:43A (a Guernsey resident it would seem) and Great Black Backed Gull P:87C were both at Chouet on the 5th August sightings by Wayne Turner.

Photo P:43A Wayne Turner ©

Photo P:87C Wayne Turner ©

Great Black Backed Gull P:55C last seen at Lamiako Marshes near to Bilbao Northern Spain in May 2019, has moved North to the Isle des Re off the French West coast.

Seen at the Lilleau des Niges Nature reserve by Julien Gernigon on the 2nd August 2019, ringed originally in June 2018.