I didn't really know what to expect today with it being a Bank Holiday weekend and also the forecast was for another rainy day - we wouldn't like to spoil the run of rain or snow every Saturday this year would we! Luckily the rain held off until lunchtime, but it was still dull and cold.
There were no gulls first thing or any sign of activity at the tip. I tried the A5 Lagoons, but there was just eight Great Black-backed Gull there. I was thinking of where else to go, but decided to try the lane at the back of the tip, as there is a field that looks good for Wheatears. No Wheatears, but there were gulls heading towards the tip. I hastily made the phone call to ask for permission to enter the land where I watch the gulls from. The phone was answered, which meant there might actually be some tipping going on, and permission was granted.
My luck was in as they were accepting lorries and some household waste was expected. The gulls were constantly feeding and there were thousands of the beauties (eye of the beholder).
It didn't take long for the first 'white-winger' to put in an appearance. The first one was the regular pale second-calendar year bird.
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| Juvenile Iceland Gull, Cotesbach landfill 31/03/18 |
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| Juvenile Iceland Gull, Cotesbach landfill 31/03/18 |
Soon after another arrived - a darker second calendar-year bird. It was feeding on the near edge of the gulls, so I waited for it to fly and photographed it in flight. Though its a dark bird its outer primary pattern matches
glaucoides better than
kumlieni although the tail band and dark chunky bill appear to be more like what would be expected for a kumlieni. I would have been interesting to have seen it a month or so back. I originally mistook it for another dark individual that has been present for a couple of weeks, but photographs show that one has a white tail and off white primaries, so this is a new bird. Comments welcomed.
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| Juvenile Iceland Gull, Cotesbach landfill 31/03/18 |
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| Juvenile Iceland Gull, Cotesbach landfill 31/03/18 |
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| Juvenile Iceland Gull, Cotesbach landfill 31/03/18 |
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| Juvenile Iceland Gull, Cotesbach landfill 31/03/18 |
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| Juvenile Iceland Gull, Cotesbach landfill 31/03/18 |
I next spotted a 'white-winger' in flight. I expected it to be one of the two juveniles already seen, but when it landed I could see it had some grey scapular feathers. It was a sturdy looking thing with a squarish white head. A new bird and a second-winter. Unfortunately the gulls went up and I lost it as it dropped below on to the slope where the machine drivers push the waste - I can't see that bit.
About an hour later I spotted another second-winter, but this one was smaller with a tiny round head and a buff wash to its head and underparts.
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| Second-Winter Iceland Gull, Cotesbach Landfill Site 31/03/18 |
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| Second-Winter Iceland Gull, Cotesbach Landfill Site 31/03/18 |
Four Iceland Gulls in one day is a record for the site. That makes it ten so far for 2018 and eleven in total for the 2017/2018 'white-winger' season. One could say that its been a good winter for Iceland Gulls.
There were still lots of Herring Gulls around and some of the second calendar-year birds were very fresh looking. This suggests that they were hatched somewhere in the very north - possibly the Arctic. The bird below caught my eye because of just how pale it is.
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| First-Winter Herring Gull, Cotesbach Landfill Site 31/03/18 |
Four Caspian Gulls were around with a really smart looking classic first-winter amongst them. The one below was also quite smart, but first prize went to the other one. Although it lost marks for being shy in front of the camera.
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| First-Winter Caspian Gull, Cotesbach Landfill Site 31/03/18 |
The gulls were commuting between the landfill and the sandpits off Gibbet Lane and I saw many in both places.
