Gull round-up

Iceland Gull

Iceland Gull

Following the excitement of the Kumlein's Gull on Thursday, another visit to Farnham Quarry on Friday was a complete let down with only 15 Herring Gulls by 17:00, and a couple of hundred Black-headed Gulls.  A good count of 70 Goldeneye, of which 18 were adult males, and some of the female/immatures were showing signs of male feathering, also a male Pochard and six pairs of Gadwall were of interest. 

A morning visit on Saturday 3rd March to Allerton tip produced an adult and at least two immatures, probable 2nd-years.  I was joined shortly after by Paul Irving and another birder who picked up an adult Caspian Gull.  Had scope views before many of the flock took to flight.  I went back again in the afternoon to see if the Caspian had returned but had no luck with any of the scarcer gulls, and due a heavy rain shower had my lights on...and left them on when I got to the tip.  Doh, flat battery.

Rainbow at Allerton

Sunday morning at the tip and not many gulls at all, and none of interest.  In the evening, I tried Farnham again, and by 17:10 the only larger gull was a single 1st-year Herring Gull.  The only highlight was an adult Kittiwake in the roost, among eight Common Gulls and c.800 Black-headed Gulls.  Where have all the larger gulls gone?

Alder catkins

Kumlein's Gull at last.

I was going to leave the Iceland Gull round-up to the end of the week, but this evening's visit to Farnham produced a 1st-winter Kumlein's Gull, present for 15 minutes or so, before the roost took to flight, and unfortunately it did not return.  This was by far the darkest most coarsely marked of all the immature Iceland's over the last 10 days or so, with a dark bill with only a hint of a paler base, brownish tertials, pale brown primaries with off-white edges forming neat chevrons.  No other Iceland Gulls there this evening, nor at Allerton this morning.  However, at Allerton there was a Ringed Plover there, and a Bar-tailed Godwit flew north over the site. 

The Iceland's this week consist of just the one presumed 2nd-year Iceland Gull at Allerton tip on Monday 27th.    No visits on 28th, and then Allerton tip again on 29th, with an adult, two 2nd-year and a 1st-year Iceland Gull.  700 Herring Gull, 30 GBBGull.

A few Orthosias at last.

Probably the warmest day of the year so far and a warm night despite clear skies, so I spent a couple of hours with a light over a sheet and the Gladiator at Pilmoor.  Some good numbers and the first of the spring moths, with several orthosias.  Small Brindled Beauty was a new one for me in Yorkshire, but escaped while trying to pot it for photographing.

March Moth

Yellow Horned

Satellite

Species recorded were 22 Tortricodes alternella, 15 Yellow Horned, 38 March Moth, a Small Brindled Beauty, 10 Pale Brindled Beauty, an Oak Beauty, 2 Dotted Border, 2 Engrailed/Small Engrailed, 2 Common Quaker, a Clouded Drab, Hebrew Character and 3 Satellite.

More white-winged gulls...

Following on from Tuesday's success, I have spent some time this week looking at gulls and feel quite fired up about it. With so many Iceland Gulls in the country at the moment and a report of a Kumlein's Gull at Allerton, the  opprtunities are there to see some good birds.  Rather than lots of entries, here is a resume of five days of gull-watching.


On Wednesday 22nd Feb I tried Farnham Quarry again on the evening, just to make sure I wasn't dreaming on the Tuesday; although the larger gulls were quite late in coming in, both adults and all three 1st-years eventually came in to roost.

On Thursday 23rd Feb, I tried scanning a viewable area at Allerton land-fill, just three miles south of Boroughbridge.  

Distant views of loafing gulls at Allerton

On arrival, I was greeted by brief views of a probable 2nd-winter Glaucous Gull, but before I could get my 'scope on it, all the gulls flew up, spooked by two Red Kites flying over the site.

Red Kite

Observations over the next couple of hours came up with three 1st-winter (or possibly 2nd-year) Iceland Gulls.  Two were invariably together, the third and largest bird was always apart.   Very few larger gulls around by 16:30, so suspect this is more of a day-time loafing site rather than a roost.  I wonder if these Iceland Gulls are the same that roost at Farnham?

Iceland Gull

Iceland Gull

On Friday 24th Feb morning, in intermittent drizzle, I tried the tip again for a couple of hours.  No Glaucous Gull this time, but at least five immature Iceland Gulls in different stages of advancement.  When the sun eventually came out the light was excellent, and reasonable views were obtained of the gulls.  There were two what I would consider standard 1st-winter plumage, albeit pale; two more with an almost pearly pallor, with hardly any buff mottling, pale eyes and pink-based bills which were probably 2nd-year birds; one very small individual, probably 2nd-winter, with faint traces of chevrons on primaries, recalling Kumlein's Gull, but considered to be Iceland.

Iceland Gull

An adult Kittiwake was also of note and a large, lanky white-headed gull which recalled Caspian Gull had me going for a bit.  Not entirely convinced, but certainly a striking looking long-legged bird.

gull sp.

A couple of hours on Saturday 25th Feb morning produced a biscuit-coloured 1st-year Glaucous Gull, and at last a superb adult Iceland Gull with three 1st and 2nd-years.  

Glaucous Gull

Iceland Gulls, adult (centre left) and probable 2nd-year (centre right)

In the evening on Saturday, I watched the roost at Farnham Quarry, and very few larger gulls about, less than 150, but did include a pale 1st/2nd-year and an adult.

On Sunday 26th Feb, again spent an hour at Allerton, and managed two 1st/2nd-year birds at range, until all the gulls were spooked by some kids after rabbits.  Some minutes later, another or same was seen in flight over the site, but the gulls just would not settle again.

In the evening, even fewer larger gulls at Farnham Quarry, probably less than 50 by 17:00, but did include a 1st/2nd-year Iceland.  It was one of those evenings where if someone had come along to see all these gulls, it was a case of  'you should have been here a couple of days ago...'

It paid off......this time.

Following the visit to Farnham Gravel Pits near Knaresborough at the weekend, when there were not as many large gulls as expected, I tried again this evening.  It certainly paid off, as there were many more larger gulls, at least 1500 Herring Gulls, and among them were FIVE Iceland Gulls.  They included two stonking adult birds, and two, almost certainly three 1st-years.  The uncertainty only due not being able to get all three 1st years in the same sweep of the scope, but were distinctly spread out enough to be more than the two.

In addition, at least five Great Black-backed Gulls, ten Lesser Black-backed Gulls and two Yellow-legged Gulls.  Concentrating on the larger gulls, I would just estimate 2-300 Common Gulls, and 3000+ Black-headed Gulls.  No sign of the Kittiwakes...but I am not complaining.

Square-bashing 2012

In common with the previous last few years, I have had a look at target squares for the coming season.  In addition to squares with few records, I have identified a number of species that I would like to find in Yorkshire, most of which would be new to me.  To help me with this, I have an excel sheet with all the hectads for the VC's 61-65.  The small number at the top of each square is the number of species recorded in each square from the Yorkshire database, and those in grey are the squares with less than 100 species recorded.   The larger numbers are the number of species I have recorded in each square, and the colour coded squares were under-recorded squares I have targeted over the last three years.  This has proved most rewarding for the pale blue squares which now have respectable totals including some very good moths.  The pink ones were those for 2011, which received some coverage in that year, but I have carried them over to 2012 to try a bit harder.

As for some of the species I would target, I have interrogated the Yorkshire database and come up with some maps, to give me an idea when and which areas to target.  I do not hold out too much hope, but if you don't look you don't see, so let's just see how we get on.......

Time for some gulls

With all these white-winged gulls having being pushed into the UK in some numbers, and hearing of an Iceland Gull at Nosterfield, I decided to give one of the gravel pits near Knaresborough a grilling last night.  The pit closest to the golfcourse and part of the Farnham complex is well placed to watch in the evening light, and attracts several thousand gulls to roost.  Surprisingly, there were far fewer of the larger gulls that were present a month or so ago, but there were at least 40 Herring, 1 Greater Black-backed, 300 Common Gull and 3000 Black-headed Gulls.  Despite scoping the flock for 90 odd minutes, the best I could come up with was an adult Yellow-legged Gull and two adult Kittiwake, which unfortunately were far too far away to photograph.

So while talking about gulls, it does allow me to add a photo of the Glaucous Gull I saw in a flooded field south of Boroughbridge, on 16 April 2009.

Glaucous Gull, Allerton Park, 16 April 2009