Winter Gull Watching

I always try to get one gull watching session in just after Christmas when the tip is working. Lots of Christmas dinner was being delivered to the gulls today at Cotesbach landfill judging by the whiff coming from the dustbin lorries as they passed by.

I am watching from the gateway along Gibbet Lane, which overlooks the flooded sandpit. Some kind person had dumped an old fence where I stand, so I had to move that first. I flushed the nearest gulls on to the water from the bank whilst I was working and I noticed one was very pale. As soon as I lifted by binoculars I realised it was the second-winter Glaucous Gull that has been around recently.

Ten Caspian Gulls today, which was a respectable total for late December.

Another Glaucous Gull

Hot on the heels of the recent juvenile Glaucous Gull was another one. Based on how pale it is, I guess it's a second-winter. It was first seen in the roost at Draycote Water and then I saw it distantly at Cotesbach Landfill site last Thursday. It showed a little closer on Saturday when I managed some poor record shots. This makes it six now for the year and 31 in total at Shawell since 2012.

Glaucous Gull

A juvenile Glaucous Gull, the first 'white-winger of the winter season, was at Shawell today. It frequented the sandpit off Gibbet Lane for much of the morning.

Due to the distance I wasn't able to get any photos of it on the deck, but I did record some video:

In addition to the big 'white-winger', at least five Caspian Gulls were present.

Great White Egret

I couldn't make it out first thing this morning, so Adey went over to Brascote without me. Around 09:30 he sent me a message to say he had found a Great White Egret. Not quite the rarity it was but still a good bird for the South-West Leicestershire list. In fact it is only the third record for the area.

We still await a Cattle Egret but in the meantime this will do.

I managed to get over about an hour later and it was still there.

It was wary and easily scared. At one point it flew towards Cadeby Quarry, but returned after just 10 minutes.

Great White Egret, Brascote Pits, 11th November 2018

Caspian Gulls at Shawell

I'm pretty sure my Caspian Gull haul today was my best day count so far at Shawell. Herring Gulls were already the most numerous species. This is noteworthy as they generally don't take over from the Lesser black-backed Gulls until December.

In total I recognised 13 different Caspian Gulls: nine first calendar-years, two second calendar-years and two third calendar-years.

First Calendar-Year Caspian Gull - note how far its moult has progressed. Some tertials and greater coverts have been replaced with second-generation feathers.

Some of the gulls are photographable as they leave the sandpit and head off over Gibbet Lane. I struck lucky again when one of the colour-ringed birds flew over me. LU4T was ringed at Pitsea Landfill site on 20th November 2013. It has previously been seen in France.

LU4T

Gulls in the Sandpit