Our last post for 2020 nice to see it is a Herring Gull for a change.
Peter Rock and Nick Adams found Herring Gull 812 while checking through the flock at Lower Compton Landfill near Bristol seen there on the 30th December 2020.
The Gull was originally ringed in June 2019 on the Break Waters, where it has been in the meantime must remain a mystery.
Despite the best the Coevid virus can throw at all of us Birds still carry on life as normal including our colour ringed Gulls.
Great Black backed Gull P:18D has supplied its second sighting since ringing in June 2019, once more seen in Coverack Harbour Cornwall. Seen on the 19th December by Mark Grantham.
We have ringed a few Black Headed Gulls with Metal rings only on Radipole Lake, as they are a Winter only visitor to our area.
When sightings come in they are very welcome.
Renaud Flamant sent in a c-r reading from one of herring Gulls at Radipole Lake Weymouth and while he was there he read two of our Black Headed Gulls rings.
The Gull roost in Weymouth does have regular visits from other European ringing schemes ringed Birds.
BHG EL69357 ringed in December 2007 seen on the 4th & 6th December 2020
BHG EW64501 ringed in January 2011 seen on the 6th December 2020
We are always happy to receive Gull sightings, Great Black Backed making up the majority (not a complaint you understand) so it is great when we receive Herring Gull sightings for a change.
Renaud Flamant sent us three sightings of Herring Gull 773 all from the car park next to Radipole Lake.
Seen 3rd,4th, & 5th December, so far all sightings of this Gull have been at Radipole Lake. It would be very easy to say this HG goes nowhere and stays in Weymouth all the time, although without more sightings from Weymouth or else where we can't be sure.
Another Herring Gull 809 ringed June 2019 on the Break Waters has made its second visit to Lower Compton Landfill near Bristol. Seen there by Nick Adams on the 4th December.
Gulls from Weymouth are frequent visitors to this Landfill, which goes some way to prove that the Gulls in Weymouth are not all sedentary.
Great Black Backed Gull P:41C has a liking for the London and Home Counties, since ringing in June 2016 there has been more sightings of this Gull in and around London than anywhere else.
The first sighting came in 2016 from Rotherhithe London part of the Old London Docklands. In 2017 it was down on the Axe estuary in Devon.
2018 it was seen at a Landfill at Bexley South East London and back on Portland. 2019 it had moved round to Buckinghamshire and Little Marlow, seen there twice. Up into Hertfordshire in 2020 then over to Guernsey before returning to Hertfordshire and Stockers Lake Rickmansworth where it was sighted by Paul Graham on the 1st December.
A little behind on our posts, better late than not all.
Ian MacLean has sent in an up date from the Devon Axe Estuary from earlier in October.
Great Black Backed Gull P:97A originally ringed in June 2014 not a frequent source of sightings unlike some of our Gulls, although annual on the Axe . First sighting since October 2019 was on the 5th October 2020 back on the Axe.
Great Black Backed gull P:99C ringed as an Adult in a garden near Axemouth, another regular visitor to the Axe with several visits to inland sites. Seen back on the Axe on the 12th October.
Abby Domaille sent us the latest sighting of Great Black Backed Gull P:78C, seen at Perelle Beach Guernsey on the 23rd October. Wayne Turner checked his records and found a sighting from March not on the history we sent to them, seen also at Perelle on the 3rd March.
Abby and Wayne sent us photos taken at the time, which illustrates the change in plumage over approximately a 7 month period.
There is a popular Gull Roost in a field near to the Bird Observatory at the Southern end of the Island of Portland in Dorset, we ring the Gull Pulli in the Port in the Northern section.
From time to time colour ringed Gulls from around Europe can be found here, along with Gulls we have ringed.
Richard Cope on a visit to the area stopped off to check the Gulls on two days recently with sightings of two of our Great Black Backed Gulls.
P:56B seen there on the 5th October
P:77A seen there on the 6th October ringed in June 2013 a regular at Dawlish Warren Devon, Axe Estuary Devon and the Portland Roost.
P:55C a Great Black Backed Gull ringed during June 2018 and first sighted post fledging near to Bilbao Spain in May 2019 and subsequently 5 sightings along the French Atlantic Coast which includes the latest sighting on the 27th September.
The sighting was made by Sophie Reverdiau on the Route des Pitit Marchais, Les Portes en Re, Ile de Re France, an Island situated off the Atlantic Coast of France.
That well known Guernsey Gull P:43A normally is seen at Perelle Beach with occasional trips to L'Eree Bay seen at both on the 9th September by Wayne Turner. The next day 10th September it showed at a new site Rocquaine Fish Factory, an ideal place to find Gull.
On the 14th & 15th September Great Black Backed Gull P:41C made a return visit to Perelle Beach.
Over in North West Spain at La Coruna, Antonio Lopez Porto relocated Great Black Back Gull P:35B a regular visitor to that area seen on the 23rd September.
Most of the sightings come from far and wide and not many from close to our ringing site, thanks to Richard Cope we have 3 local sightings.
Great Black Backed Gull P:66D ringed June 2019 was seen at Ferrybridge on the 24th September, a site on the edge of Portland Harbour and a short flight to where this Gull was hatched in June 2019.
Richard followed this sighting with 2 more sightings from near to Portland Bill on the same day 24th September. While there he noticed two other c-r Gulls a Yellow Darvic and a Green Darvic unfortunately the grass blocked the code being read.
Great Black Backed Gull
P:01B Has visited The Lizard in Cornwall and Portland previously
P:47B has visited The Axe in Devon, Guernsey and Portland previously also.
Catching up on the latest sightings after the weekend.
Great Black Backed Gull P:43A continues to clock up the sightings, once more at Perelle Beach Guernsey seen there 17th September by Abby Domaille.
Perelle seems to have taken on the popularity and attraction that Chouet used to have for the Gulls.
Great Black Backed Gull P:88B regularly seen on the Devon Axe Estuary with visits to L'Eree on Guernsey and West Bexington Dorset has once more returned to the Axe seen there on the 10th September by Ian McLean.
Great Black Backed Gull P:73C likes to be noticed and the place for that is Perelle Beach Guernsey. It is just a matter of posing and waiting for Abby or Abbs or Wayne to come by, this time it was Abby who sighted it on the 20th September.
Great Black Back Gull P:41C having visited sites in Rotherhithe London, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Berkshire returned to the south Coast on the Axe Estuary Devon.
Having sampled the inland joys of the UK, the next stop was L'Eree Bay Guernsey seen there on the 12th September by Wayne Turner, followed the same day by a visit to Perelle Beach Guernsey.
Still on Guernsey sightings and to the GBBGull that has produced the most sightings of any Gull we have ringed have ringed so far.
P:43A ringed in June 2012 and as of the last report from Wayne Turner and Abbs Oliveira is on 103 sightings all on Guernsey the latest was on the 16th August.
The honour of taking the 100th sighting goes to Abbs.
Mark Grantham of the West Cornwall Ringing Group has sent in two sightings of our Great Black backed Gulls seen at Southerly Point the Lizard Cornwall.
P:64D seen by Terry Thirlaway on the 26th July and by Tony Blunden on the 29th July. Ringed June 2019 these are the first sightings since then.
Terry Thirlaway had a sighting of GBBGull P:57D on the 14th August also at Southerly Point. Ringed in June 2019 and the first sighting since then.
Great Black Backed Gull P:73C is a Guernsey regular since the closure of the Landfill at Chouet Perrelle Beach is now the place to be seen. There on 3 occasions up to the latest on the 18th August, sightings by Abbs Oliveira and Wayne Turner.
An up date from Lee Collins of our Great Black Backed Gulls at Dawlish Warren on the Exe Estuary Devon.
Lee mentioned he has found a there is large reduction in the total sightings of colour ringed Birds on the Estuary.
Great Black Backed Gull P:87B sighted once more at Dawlish on the 11th August after an absence of sightings for the last 8 months. ringed in 2015 and normally a regular visitor to Dawlish.
Great Black Backed Gull P:91D visiting Dawlish on the 4th July in between visiting as mentioned in a previous post the Axe Estuary Devon and West Bexington Dorset.
Ian McLean sends us regular sightings of our Gulls from the Axe Estuary in Devon.
Ian's latest sightings.
Great Black Backed Gull's
26th July P:62A regular on the Axe with two recorded visits to Chard Junction Reservoir Dorset
28th July P:79C also an Axe regular since ringing in June 2018
6th August P:91D second sighting since ringing although first for the Axe. Previous sighting was at West Bexington to the East in Dorset
