More winter Gull'ing + an unexpected migrant

Wednesday was spent Gull'ing at Rainton Meadows trying to catch up with John Bridgelens's Iceland Gull and Mediterranean Gull. The day was a bit of a disaster with the only bird of note being a Lesser-black backed Gull, though I did get a good video of it and a Common Gull that was hanging around the area.

(Lesser black-backed Gull - Sorry for weird music, added it to cover up John's swear word)

(Common Gull)

Friday was spent Gull'ing at Teesside at Seaton Common tip, I prefer to Gull at this tip rather than Cowpen where the birds are always distant and often difficult to observe especially if its windy. I had nothing of note really apart from a cracking looking Mediterranean Gull which was moulting out of winter into summer plumage. Also I had 3-4 Lesser black-backed Gull which seemed to be commuting between the tip to Seaton Common to bathe and wash up. 

I recommend you mute the video as it was really windy:

(Mediterranean Gull)

A nice surprise when Tom Francis came by and kindly alerted us he had just found a Hooded Crow on Seaton Common, I drove along in my car and saw the bird from the car after couple of minutes of scoping the common itself. Got out of the car to set up my tripod and scope to get a better view but the bird must have flow off and wasn't seen again. Hopefully it will turn back up so people can get a chance to twitch it. But after all its just a Hooded Crow. It was a county tick for me.

Saturday was spent at Rainton Meadows with a mate of mine looking at the Redpolls. The only Arctic that put on a show was the 1st winter male. But I managed this video of the bird:

Pic of birds undertail coverts

Another lad was scanning the gulls and managed to pick out a cracking winter plumage Mediterranean Gull, its a really rubbish video the bird is infront of the Herring Gull that flaps its wings center of screen at 8 seconds in; the bird is roosting with its head tucked in its back:

(Mediterranean Gull)

That Slaty-backed Gull is still doing my head in! Until next time, Foghorn out!

Dove from Above - Friday 18th of February

I had a typical day at University on the Thursday and text my mate Gary to see if he fancied going for the Oriental Turtle Dove and have another go for the Slaty-backed Gull. Gary said he was busy arranging a trip down and that there might be a space for me. So at around 9 that night Gary text to say there was a space if I wanted it. Not surprisingly I took his hand off and we set off for Staffordshire at around 3:00 on Friday morning. We reached Staffordshire 3 hours later at 6:00 and arrived at Gary's mates house Brian. After a morning brew we were off to a little village in the Oxfordshire countryside called Chipping Norton. We arrived fairly early probably about 7-8ish can't remember the exact time. We were greeted by two men who said something along the lines off "It was there but has flown off". About 30 seconds later a mate of mine who I met at the Rainton Meadows Arctic Redpolls came around the corner and stopped, "It's still there matey, on the guys lawn". We thanked him and made a hasty walk up the bank to number 41 Leys. Lee Evans was at the door managing the occasion, it was good to see someone taking control of the situation in some form. We had to que for about 10-15 minutes and then we eventually got in. A walk along the corridor and then through to the kitchen was our port of call, I was the first one of the lads to get in (not that I was keen or anything) and everyone was there being very quiet and respectful of the owners allowing us into their home for this special occasion. We leaned against the wall and looked onto a bush outside the patio windows, there sat in a tree was this:

(Oriental (Rufous) Turtle Dove - © Brian Evill)

(Oriental (Rufous) Turtle Dove - © Brian Evill)

What I love about those photos was the fact it was taken whilst I was actually watching the bird. A superb bird and I had about 1 minutes viewing time before leaving, I left fairly quickly like others so that people waiting got a chance to see it. I wouldn't want the bird to fly off incase some of the others missed it. On leaving I paid my money and shook the homeowners hand and thanked him very much for allowing me into his home. He asked me a question, something like this "Excuse me where are you from?". Obviously my accent was a bit of a give away that I wasn't from around the area. "County Durham", was my reply. To which he replied "F*c!(! H%l*", told his wife where I was from and then wished me a safe journey home. I think he was surprised to hear how far I had come to see the bird. We were in high spirits so off to London we go..............

We went through the center of London at around 10-12, the highlight was a Ring-necked Parakeet and whilst in the center of London we received a message that the Slaty-backed Gull had been seen. Excellent! We arrived and got told it was seen by 1 person, I chatted to a guy I met last time I was down and he kind of hinted that the guy was an 'ok birder, but we all make mistakes'. To which I smiled and lost pretty much all hope it was going to be here that day. Sure enough we didn't see it, Gary picked up a Iceland Gull sitting on Wennington Marsh and I managed some simply terrible photos and a short video. So I dipped the Slaty-backed Gull again. Its cost me about £40 now I think, I dipped it for the last time I think. Hope there will be others.

(Iceland Gull - Middle bird sitting down on the grass - Andrew Kinghorn)

Poor video of Iceland Gull:

Until next time, Foghorn out!

Two white-wingers at Rainton Meadows DWT

Made famous by the wintering Coues' Arctic Redpolls Rainton Meadows has pulled in some excellent gulls over the years. These include: at least 2 Ring-billed Gulls, Iceland Gulls, Mediterranean Gulls, Glaucous Gulls, and 1 Caspian Gull that was on one of the islands briefly early on last year.

Today local wildlife photographer John Bridges came up trumps again and managed a Rainton Meadows "life click" and scored with both Iceland Gull and Mediterranean Gull. I managed a Med Gull myself this morning at Great Lumley, same bird as Johns? I reckon so as this bird keeps going missing and Rainton Meadows is a stones throw away.

Some images used as always by the kind permission of John Bridges. ALL IMAGES COPYRIGHT © John Bridges.

1st Winter Iceland Gull

(Note: The size of the bird compared to Herring Gulls. This bird is quite small and doesn't have that brutishness of a Glaucous)

(Note: Again the size of the bird, about the same size if not slightly smaller than Herring Gull present. Also note the primary projection (beyond the tail) it is fairly long and typical of Iceland. Also the look on the birds face is 'cute' rather than fierce and mean as would be expected from Glaucous Gull.)

(Note: bill length. Tis birds bill is fairly typical of Iceland as being fairly small and short. Again the expression on the face is more 'cute' than the brutish look of the face on Glaucous Gull. Note how the bill changes as the winter goes on, in early winter bill is largley a fairly uniform black. However as the winter goes on the base of the bill becomes pink as shown clearly on this bird. So this is a 'late' first winter.)

(Note: Translucent wings that show up well in this image. No hint of any off colour tones that you wouldn't expect to see, eliminating a leucistic Herring as John thought when he first uploaded the pictures today. Also not the nice brownish tones to the belly so overall the bird isn't as white as first impressions might seem.)

(On both the above images you can see the general shape of the bird. Note: wings look quite long. Also the belly looks a nice brown color on the underwing coverts are also have a nice brownish tinge and this shows up well here on these images.)

Ad Winter Mediterranean Gull 

(Note: Med Gulls are fairly easy to pick out in a flock of Gulls:

- Slightly larger than surrounding Black-headed Gulls

- Note the primaries on the underwing on Med Gull; pure translucent white

- Note the primaries on the underwing on the Black-headed Gulls; black and gives a dark look even at range)

(Again note how the bird looks large compared to surrounding Black-headed Gulls. Primaries on Black-headed Gulls project more beyond the tail compared to Med Gull. Note especially how uniform the Med Gull looks in the flock.)

(On above two images note how the bird looks very white with little hint of black tones anywhere on plumage.)

Both cracking birds and excellent finds for the reserve. Nice work John!

Until next time, Foghorn out!

Wednesday - Gull'ing at Teesside

The title says it all really. I did some Gull'ing at Teesside. I haven't been getting the result the lads of Pitsea have been getting. They have now seen the Slaty-backed Gull twice on that tip!

Anyway I had a fairly good day, I arrived at about 11 and started to scan through the Gulls. Nothing much on the tip surface apart from about 74,321 Herring Gulls OR so it seemed. So I started to scan the landfill site tip sides to look at the loafing Gulls. Pink legs, pink legs, pink legs, not pink legs...........(zoom in eyepiece), dull yellow hue legs..........................(gets out iPhone and puts on video).....................(gull moves).......................... looks through scope again just to make sure it has Yellow legs...............yes it does.........................(flys off). How I love Gull watching. Was it Yellow-legged Gull? Yes. A long awaited county first for me and a year tick.

I had nothing for a while and then scanning the tip side I picked up a nice monster of a Glaucous Gull, I love these birds! The bird stood about for a good 5 minutes before I took my eye off it and it went missing, I soon picked it up as it was about to land on the other side of the tip and out of view.

(Glaucous Gull - Andrew Kinghorn)

Then a car pulled up, man got out, started setting up his camera, it was John Bridgelens (Bridges). Not surprisingly we got talking and John said Iceland Gull would be a "life click". So with a snickers in mouth and hand I picked out the Iceland Gull on other side of the road flying about on the tip. I scoffed the last of my snickers bar down and we both crossed the road to the tip. Within minutes I picked the bird out and it was really close, John got straight on it and the bird landed on the tip surface. John managed some simply superb images of the bird before it took off again.

(Iceland Gull - © John Bridges)

Throughout the day John found it once more and I found it once more, some more superb images were taken. When John found it the second time it was quite humorous, here's what the conversation went like:
John: "So what exactly does this bird look like in flight?"
Andrew: "Very white, like a ghost."
(About 40 seconds later John points at a Gull circling above our heads, I look up)
Andrew: "That's it!"
(Gets behind camera quickly and rattles of some superb images).
Here are some images taken of the Gull as it flew above us:

(Iceland Gull - © John Bridges)

Then I found the bird again later on, this time it was perched up again fairly distantly on the tip and then it flew closer and John manages some great shots again this time of the bird on deck and more great images of the bird in flight.

After the bird flew closer:

(Iceland Gull - © John Bridges)

I picked out a Lesser black-backed Gull amongst the huge mass of Gulls. A first for this site for me this year. Later on another friend of mine arrived who I know and he picked out the Glaucous Gull sitting on the tip really close to us! John managed some more superb images of the bird:

(Glaucous Gull - © John Bridges)

Then just to top of the day I was scanning the side of the tip when I picked out a dark backed Gull sitting. I said to the lad I know "Take a look at this." I asked what the thought and he said he thought argentatus Herring Gull. I said something like "I don't think so", I zoomed in on its legs and they were a dull Yellow hue. The mantle color was just not dark enough for Lesser black-backed Gull. So I put it down as a second Yellow-legged Gull, I am confident of my identification but any comments welcome.

(Click image to enlarge - Yellow-legged Gull - Andrew Kinghorn)

Some videos, first two very brief, last video shows the bird taking off:

A great day with great company. I have also been twitching recently. Stay tuned for more on that.
Until next time, Foghorn out!