Kumlien's Still

A quick visit to Shawell this morning revealed that both the pale juvenile Glaucous Gull and the third-winter Kumlien's Gull were still taking advantage of the food the landfill provides. A surprise first-winter Med Gull was also there.

The place wash awash with gulls, so hopefully a few more white-wingers will join the party.

The primary markings on the Kumlien's can be really obvious in dull light, but in the bright sunlight today it was harder to spot. Its eyes are pale, but not as pale as typical sub-adult Iceland Gulls - more of a honey colour in most lights.

In the photo below the subterminal bar on P9 is just visible. This became more obvious went in flew back on to the water.

Third-winter Kumlien's Gull at Shawell Sand Quarry 10th January 2020

Open Image of Third-winter Kumlien's Gull

The open wing image shows the darker markings on the outer webs of P10 to P7. A sub terminal mark is just visible on P9. I have read that the markings darken as the bird ages.

 

Glaucous Gull

More From Shawell

Another Saturday and another one spent checking the gulls at my favourite spot. With news of the 'white-wingers' spreading it was no surprise to see a steady stream of visitors today. It was of course great to see everyone and the new viewing area provided by Tarmac is helping to make everyone's experience a little better. Parking is still an issue though.

Birdguides enhanced the sites reputation this week by saying the following in the review of the week:

'With it being such a poor winter for white-winged gulls so far, Shawell in Leicestershire only exacerbated the notion that it is one of the country's top gull-watching sites when it produced Kumlien's, Glaucous and Iceland Gulls between Christmas and New Year'.

Today we had a great time with a few other species vying for our attention. As well the gulls, both a Common and a Green Sandpiper were seen and also a female Merlin.

The first 'white-winger' to appear was the third-winter Kumlien's Gull that I first found on December 28th. It's primary markings were a little harder to see, but they were just visible.
It's strange how different light conditions make such a difference.

Third-winter Kumlien's Gull, Shawell Sand Quarry

The pale juvenile first seen on December 30th was seen briefly in flight and then later on it came down into the flooded sandpit.

Juvenile Glaucous Gull, Shawell Sand Quarry

Before the juvenile came on to the water an adult gull that I hastily identified as an Iceland Gull appeared. Reviewing the photos tonight I realised it is a small. probably female, Glaucous Gull. This is the 40th record of this gull species for Shawell. Note the large head and strong looking bill plus the short primary projection.

Adult Glaucous Gull, Shawell Sand Quarry

Review of the 'White-Winged Gulls at Shawell

We have now been watching the area around The Cotesbach Landfill site for 11 years. The landfill site attracts thousands of gulls on an almost daily basis, but it's the Arctic species that create the most excitement. Glaucous and Iceland Gulls can be seen in small numbers throughout winter and into spring. Occasionally a Kumlien's Gull is identified although they are very rare, but two were seen in 2019.

Pale Juvenile Glaucous Gull, April 16th 2018, Shawell Sandpit

The number being recorded at Shawell/Cotesbach landfill site has increased in recent years. This is probably due to high numbers of gulls visiting the sandpit off Gibbet Lane. Previously, only a fraction of the gulls in the area visited the A5 Lagoons, but now more are being seen.

Juvenile Iceland Gull on April 21st at Shawell Sandpit.

Total so far

Year	Iceland Gull	Glaucous Gull	Kumlien’s Gull
2019	8	7	2
2018	14	7	0
2017	4	9	0
2016	3	4	0
2015	1	2	0
2014	3	1	0
2013	2	7	0
2012	5	2	0
2011	1	0	0
2010	1	0	0
2009	3	0	1
11 yr totals	45	39	3

So when is the best time to search for these beauties? 

Below are two graphs showing the months in which new birds have arrived. February and March are the peak times for Iceland Gull, but January is the best time to see Glaucous Gull at Shawell. Iceland Gulls can arrive well into spring.

So what age is the most common? Juvenile is the most common age for Glaucous and Iceland Gull. However, second-winter Iceland Gulls are also quite common. 

Identification is straight forward as size wise and structurally they are not at all similar, however, ageing is not so straightforward. Compare the brutish look of the Glaucous Gull below to the gentle features of the Iceland Gull. Iceland Gulls typically are obviously long winged and lack the tertial step of Glaucous Gull.

Second-winter Glaucous Gull.

Third-winter Iceland Gull.

Christmas Day for the Gulls

With experience I have learnt that once the dustbin lorries start rolling again after Christmas the gulls come to Shawell for their own Christmas Dinner. Today was not exception and many thousands dined out on our leftovers.

With so many gulls it can be difficult to work through them, but after Saturday's Kumlien's Gull, I was hoping for more 'white-wingers'. The gulls had obviously fed well and were not wanting to fly far. They began to concentrate on a close bank, which enabled me to read quite a lot of colour-rings.

It took a while, but eventually I spotted a pale juvenile Glaucous Gull, which eventually gave really good views. A smart adult Iceland Gull arrived a lttle while after the Glauc and made the day complete.

Juvenile Glaucous Gull, Shawell, December 30th 2019

Adult Iceland Gull, Shawell, December 30th 2019

These were the 39th Glaucous and 48th Iceland Gull for the site.

I'll see you all at the site soon - Happy New Year!

Third-winter Kumlien's Gull

December had on the whole been a difficult month. Most Saturday's the gull had been shunning the sandpit and so most views were very distant. This was particularly frustrating especially after picking out juvenile Iceland Gull on the last day of November.

Today the gulls, filled with Christmas leftovers, were coming into the sandpit. After a flurry of Caspian Gulls I picked up a 'white-winger'. Obviously an Iceland Gull and a third-winter, but dark primary feather markings revealed it was a Kumlien's type. A Grey wash was very obvious on the outer webs of the primaries with the darkest markings being on the longest primaries. Two sub-terminal bars can clearly be seen on what is most likely P9 and P8. Considering the distance this has translated reasonably well in the photographs. The grey was actually more distinct through my scope.