Colour-Ringed Baltic Gull at Shawell A5 Lagoons

The tip was closed during the Easter Bank Holiday, so there were fewer gulls around than normal. Despite this I still managed to read six colour-rings on Saturday. The ringed birds were all Lesser Black-backed Gulls, but one was much darker than the others and I suspected it was a Baltic Gull. My luck was in as it had a Norwegian colour-ring and it was readable - black J727. A number of features looked good for Baltic Gull, so I reported it there and then to the Norwegian website Ring Merking. I was really pleased to see it was listed as a Larus fuscus fuscus the nominate Lesser Black-backed Gull, or Baltic Gull.

It was only present for a short while and very few gulls appeared after the group it was with moved on.

The jizz is typical of many Baltic Gulls, short legged, full breasted and a long tapered rear end. Some individuals have a more elegant profile, but this one is very similar to many colour-ringed birds depicted on Gull Research Organisation. It has a white mirror on P10 only, which, although larger than some, is perfectly within the acceptable variation for Baltic Gull. The tiny white tips are typical of late winter birds - these will soon wear and disappear.

Adult Baltic Gull, Colour-Ring J727

Adult Baltic Gull, Colour-Ring J727

It was ringed as a breeding adult  in a Baltic Gull colony on an island off the north-west coast of Norway. It was ringed in Colony B at Buholmen, Sørhorsvær, Samna, Nordland, Norway. The Norwegian population of L. f. fuscus is quite small and is probably getting smaller. At the time of ringing the birds in Colony B were said to be pure fuscus. I await comments from Norway. Assuming I get the thumbs up from Norway I will submit it to the BBRC. Adult Baltic Gulls are not acceptable unless the bird is colour-ringed and the bird is known to be a genuine Baltic Gull.

Gull colour ringing in Norway (17) Last CR-Code Black ring with white code: J727 LBNW(J727);RBM Ringing Centre Stavanger Museum (Norway) Ring number 4207875 Species Lesser Black-backed Gull (fuscus)  Larus fuscus fuscus
	Date	Place	Coordinates	Days	Distance	Direction
	25.06 2006	B Buholmen, Sørhorsvær, Sømna, Nordland, Norway	65°18'26"N 011°37'30"E	-----	-----	---
	20.06 2007	B Buholmen, Sørhorsvær, Sømna, Nordland, Norway	65°18'26"N 011°37'30"E	360	0
Other Sightings Hidden****
	19.06 2014	B Buholmen, Sørhorsvær, Sømna, Nordland, Norway	65°18'26"N 011°37'30"E	2916	0
	02.08 2015	C Buøya, Nordhorsvær, Sømna, Nordland, Norway	65°19'06"N 011°37'51"E	3325	1
	26.03 2016	Shawell A5 Lagoons, Leicester & Rutland, Great Britain	52°24'50"N 001°12'52"W	3562	1606