Gulls at Shawell During 2013

This is an account of the gulls I recorded in the Shawell area of Leicestershire during 2013. The attraction for the gulls is the ready meals at Cotesbach Landfill Site. They also congregate at the nearby lagoons, known as the Shawell A5 Lagoons. The latter site is on the border between Leicestershire and Warwickshire and right at the side of the main A5 road. The lagoons are just inside Leicestershire.

I averaged just over one visit per week throughout the year apart from when I was away on holiday. Sticking to it all day throughout the freezing cold weather of the first-winter period was tough, but it had its rewards. On one occasion I had to give in when the hood over the big end of my scope continuously filled with snow.

A Winter's day at Shawell A5 lagoons

In all ten species of gull were recorded, of these six were seen on most visits.

Below is an account of each of these species:

Black-headed Gull    Chroiccocephalus ridibundus

Present throughout most of the year apart from the height of summer. The highest count during the year was c5000 on March 30th.

One colour-ring was read: March 9th white 662, ringed in Denmark on March 31st 2012.

Mediterranean Gull    Larus melanocephalus

A juvenile, just starting to moult into first-winter plumage, was at the A5 Lagoons on August 31st.

Mediterranean Gull

Common Gull    Larus canus

Present at all times in small numbers outside the breeding season. Numbers rarely exceed 50 birds.

Lesser Black-backed Gull    Larus fuscus

Present throughout the year including the summer months. Many counts of 2000 or more occurred during migration times. The highest count was 3000+ at the landfill site on 21st August. Many are of the sub-species intermedius. This was confirmed by reading colour-rings fitted in Norway.

I read 135 new colour-rings for this species and also re-read some that I first recorded in 2012. Many of them migrate to Spain, Portugal and Morocco for winter, and a few have been recorded even further south. Adult orange VV4T ringed at Rainham Tip, London, was sighted in Western Sahara during February 2012 and then spent August, September and October of this year at Shawell. On the 7th August I spotted a real globetrotter: orange E220, ringed in Rotterdam, Holland during the summer of 1995, was seen in Mauritania, West Africa on 18th November 2001. This is the furthest south a colour-ringed gull recorded in Leicestershire has migrated so far. I also recorded colour-ringed birds from breeding colonies in the far north of Norway and also Iceland.

Herring Gull    Larus argentatus

Seen throughout the year, with small numbers present even in mid-summer. The biggest numbers appear later than the Lesser Black-backed Gulls during the winter periods. During the first winter period, numbers peaked at just 357 in January. In contrast numbers during the second winter period were very high. They became the dominant species during November when 1000+ were recorded on the 23rd. Numbers continued to grow in December and a count of 2258 was made on the 28th.

High numbers during the second winter period helped produce a total of 27 colour-ring readings for the year.

No.	Date	Location	Species	Age	Metal Ring No.	Colour of Ring	Code	Ringing Co-ordinator	Ringing Location	Ringing Date	Notes
1	01/12/12 09/02/13 23/11/13 30/11/13 04/12/13 20/12/13	Shawell A5 & the landfill site	Herring Gull	Second-summer	?	Yellow	T:090	Euan Ferguson	Euan’s garden, Peterculter, Aberdeen	17/07/10	Seen at Shawell on 26/01/12 NWH
2	05/01/13	Shawell Landfill	Herring Gull, adult	adult	GN77433	Orange	0786	Sara Bone, Defra	Gerrards Cross Landfill, Bucks	20/01/04	First sighting since ringing.
3	23/01/12	Shawell A5	Herring Gull		GC22706	Blue	787	Peter Stewart	Gloucester L.S	16/12/06	First sighting away from Gloustershire
4	23/01/13	Shawell A5	2nd-winter Herring Gull	1st-winter	?	Yellow	1T1B	Jez Blackburn	Kings Lynn	29/10/11
5	26/01/13	Shawell A5	1st-W Herring Gull	1st-winter	GR58991	Orange	AY9T	Paul Roper NTGG	Rainham Tip, London	15/12/12	First sighting since ringing. Seen again at Shawell 28/03/13
6	26/01/13	Shawell A5	Herring Gull, adult	4CY or older	GN88226	Orange	VS8T	Paul Roper NTGG	Rainham Tip, London	29/01/11	Somme, France, October 2011
7	27/04/13	Shawell A5	Herring Gull, 4CY	1st CY	GN87738	Orange	YP4T	North Thames GG	Pitsea LF, Essex	30/10/10	First record
8	24/08/13	Shawell A5	Herring Gull, juv	pullus	GR62745	Yellow	F+C	Peter Rock	Gloucester	30/06/13	First record
9	19/10/13	Shawell A5	Herring Gull	1st CY (3)	GR58904	Orange	MY4T	Paul Roper NTGG	Rainham Tip, Grtr London	03/11/12	First sighting since ringing
10	30/10/13 & 31/10/13	Shawell A5	Herring Gull, 3rd-winter	Ist-year	GR15445	Orange	LV2T	NTGG, Paul Roper	Rainham Tip, Greater London	22/10/11	Seen at Shawell on 06/04/12 (SML)
11	31/10/13	Shawell A5	Herring Gull, adult	3rd year	GN88098	Orange	LS4T	NTGG, Paul Roper	Rainham Tip, Greater London	18/12/10	First sighting since ringing
12	06/11/13	Shawell A5	Herring Gull, 3rd-winter		GN87962	Orange	KS0T	NTGG, Paul Roper	Rainham Tip, Greater London	11/12/10	Only sighting away from London
13	09/11/13	Shawell A5	Herring Gull, adult	adult	GC65637	Orange	2603	Sara Bone, FERA	Seamer Carr landfill site, near Scarborough, North Yorkshire	13/05/11	First sighting since ringing
14	20/11/13	Shawell A5	Herring Gull, adult	Adult	GR30258	Orange	LU4T	NTGG, Paul Roper	Rainham Tip, Greater London	17/12/11	First sighting away from London
15	23/11/13	Shawell A5	Herring Gull, 3rd-year	3rd year	GR58274	Orange	MX8.T	NTGG, Paul Roper	Pitsea LF, Essex	10/03/12	First sighting away from London
16	30/11/13	Shawell A5	Herring Gull, 1st-winter	1st CY	GR75680	Orange	F8HT	NTGG, Paul Roper	Rainham Tip, Greater London	16/11/13	First sighting since ringing
17	07/12/13	Shawell A5	Herring Gull	pullus	FA35413	Black	J3613	Ring merking	Husholmen, Froholman, Bjarkøy, Troms, Norway	29/07/11	Shawell is 2065 km from original ringing location. Seen near Vardo, Norway during June 2012
18	07/12/13	Shawell A5	Herring Gull, 3rd-winter	2nd CY	GR58996	Orange	JY9T	NTGG, Paul Roper	Rainham Tip, Greater London	15/12/12	First sighting since ringing
19	07/12/13	Shawell A5	Herring Gull, 1st CY	1st CY	GR62740	Yellow	D+X	Peter Rock	Gloucester	30/06/13	First sighting since ringing
20	09/12/13 11/12/13	Shawell A5	Herring Gull, 4th CY	2nd CY	GR30295	Orange	MU6T	NTGG, Paul Roper	Rainham Tip, Greater London	17/12/11	First sighting since ringing
21	14/12/13	Shawell A5	Herring Gull, adult	1st-winter	GN78018	Orange	1416	Sara Bone, FERA	Ellington Road landfill site, near Ashington, Northumberland	11/03/05	First sighting since ringing
22	18/12/13	Shawell A5	Herring Gull, adult	4th-CY	GC60923	Blue	BZV	Peter Stewart	Gloucester LF, Gloucestershire	17/05/08	First record away from Gloucestershire
23	18/12/13	Shawell A5	Herring Gull, adult	adult	GC60585	Blue	BSN	Peter Stewart	Stoke Orchard LF, Gloucestershire	15/12/07	Recorded at Shawell on 15/01/10
24	20/12/13	Cotesbach LF	Herring Gull, 2W		GR75889	Orange	W9DT	NTGG, Paul Roper
25	21/12/13	Cotesbach LF	Herring Gull, adult	adult	GR71915	Yellow	T13J	Euan Ferguson	Sinclair Street, Torry, Aberdeen, Scotland	03/08/2013	First sighting since ringing.
26	21/12/13	Cotesbach LF	Herring Gull, adult			Orange	0945	Sara Bone, FERA
27	22/12/13	Shawell A5 Lagoons	Herring Gull, 4CY/ adult	age 3	GR06158	Dark Blue	KCL	Peter Stewart	Gloucester LF, Gloucestershire	25/09/10	Dannes, Pas de Calais, France February 2013
28	28/12/13	Shawell A5 Lagoons	Herring Gull, adult	5CY+	4271603	Black	JX203	Ring merking	Hasselneset, Vardø, Finnmark, Norway	14/04/12	Probably seen by CDB on 21/12/13 but only J??03 read. Seen at Shawell by SML 25/12/13

As you can see, most of the colour-rings had been fitted in Britain, but the two from Norway have travelled a considerable distance south. The last one was impressive, as it was ringed during Gull Fest 2012 and seen by some British birders that were taking part in the festival.

Yellow-legged Gull    Larus michahellis

Recorded throughout the year in small numbers with sightings being made on 87% of visits. As usual numbers peaked in July and August, with the highest count being 20 together at the A5 Lagoons on August 21st. A combined total that day from the landfill site and the lagoons would have produced a much higher count.

Average Sightings per Visit Each Month During 2013

All age groups were seen. Highlights being a juvenile on August 15th and several first-winters from late August onwards.

First-winter Yellow-legged Gull

Caspian Gull    Larus cachinnans

A total of 38 different birds were seen throughout the year. The ones listed below I consider to be OK. I have taken a strict approach to assessment and from my initial list some have been removed and are now considered to be hybrids. This species can be troublesome due to hybridisation in the breeding colonies closest to Britain where they meet up with Herring Gulls.

Third-winter Caspian Gull

Sightings Per Age:

Adult: singles on January 5th and 26th, February 22nd, April 6th, November 9th, 20th and 30th and December 20th and 28th. Total nine.

Fourth-winter: singles on March 9th, October 30th and November 23rd. Total three.

Third-summer: single on July 27th. Total 1.

Third-winter – singles on March 30th, August 24th and December 21st. Total three.

Second-winter – singles on February 2nd and 12th; two on April 6th; one on September 26th; two on October 12th with further singles during October on the 19th and 31st and finally two on November 30th. Total 11.

First year: one on January 31st; three on February 16th; one on March 9th; three on April 13th; two on April 27th and one on December 22nd. Total 11.

Hybrids:

•       Adult, Caspian x Herring Gull, January 20th.

•       Second-winter, probable Caspian x Herring Gull, February 9th and 12th, March 3rd, 13th and 16th and April 3rd, 6th and 17th.

•       Third-winter, probable Caspian x Herring Gull, February 16th.

•       Adult, probable Caspian x Herring Gull, March 9th.

•       First-winter, probable Caspian x Herring Gull, March 9th.

•       Second-winter, probable Caspian x Herring Gull, March 13th.

•       Second-summer, probable Caspian x Yellow-legged Gull, June 19th and 22nd.

•       First-winter, Caspian x Herring Gull, September 7th.

•       Third-winter, probable Caspian x Herring Gull, December 22nd and 29th.

•       Third-winter, Caspian x Herring Gull, December 22nd and 29th.

Iceland Gull     Larus glaucoides

•    a juvenile / 1st-winter on February 9th)

•    a pale first-winter on March 9th, 27th and 28th and April 6th

Faded First-winter Iceland Gull 

Glaucous Gull     Larus hyperboreus

Six were recorded:

• fourth-winter on February 16th
• juvenile on February 22nd
• second-winter on March 9th
• juvenile on March 16th and 27th
• adult on march 28th
• second-winter on December 14th

Juvenile Glaucous Gull

Great Black-backed Gull    Larus marinus

Seen throughout the year with the largest numbers appearing in winter. The highest count was 562 on December 28th.

I managed to read eight colour rings - see the chart below:

No.	Date	Location	Species	Age	Metal Ring No.	Colour of Ring	Code	Ringing Co-ordinator	Ringing Location	Ringing Date	Notes
1	23/01/13	Shawell A5	GBB Gull			Blue	JDL	Peter Stewart	Gloucester L.S	24/04/10	First sighting away from Gloustershire
2	23/01/13	Shawell A5	GBB Gull			Black	JP573	Ringmerking	Vest-Agder, Norway	30/06/12	1st winter
3	09/02/13	Shawell Landfill	GBB Gull 2nd year			Black	JP070	Ringmerking	Vest Agder, Norway	06/07/11	Dogsthorpe Tip, Cambs 05/11/11
4	04/12/13 07/12/13 28/12/13	Shawell A5	GBB Gull, 4th CY	3rd CY	MA28643	Orange	VK6T	NTGG, Paul Roper	Pitsea Landfill, Essex	13/10/12	First record since ringing
5	07/12/13	Shawell A5	GBB Gull	pullus	3038651	Black	JJ018	Ring merking	Lyngøy, Tysnes, Hordaland, Norway	02/07/12	First sighting since ringing.
6	11/12/13	Shawell A5	GBB Gull, adult	adult	HT75927	Blue	CSB	Peter Stewart	Gloucester LF, Gloucester	22/12/07	Sightings from Denmark during autumn 2011 & 2013. Last sighting at Hirtshals Havn, Nordjyllands Amt, Denmark on 29/10/13
	21/12/13	Shawell A5	GBB Gull, adult	5CY+	MA28620	Orange	TK5T	NTGG, Paul Roper	Rainham Tip, Greater London	11/02/12	Pas de Calais, France, 06/11/13
7	28/12/13 29/12/13	Shawell A5 Lagoons,	GBB Gull, 3rd or 4th winter	2nd CY	MA28609	Orange	DK5T	NTGG, Paul Roper	Pitsea LF, Essex	28/01/12	First sighting since ringing
8	28/12/13	Shawell A5 Lagoons	GBB Gull, 2W	2nd CY	MA28703	Orange	A1AT	NTGG, Paul Roper	Pitsea LF, Essex	02/02/13	First sighting since ringing