Well if you like Gulls and awful photos associated with them, then carry on. A really good day for Gulls locally with two different Iceland Gulls, six different Caspian Gulls and the usual Yellow-legged Gulls. I spent most of the day with Paula who is now recovering from 'Gullphobia'.
The Lower Cuckmere held the bulk of Caspian Gulls with a minimum of five whilst I was present (singles of first and second winters, an adult and two third-winters) around midday, but birds were flying off every now and then, (perhaps to Arlington) and then returning again, in fact the second-winter landed on the meanders at one point. Probably of more excitement to me was a drake Pochard on the meanders, this being only my second record in the Cuckmere.
Whilst at my parents and with Paula not being able to look at another Gull for the rest of the day, I rushed off to Arlington Reservoir as Andrew Whitcomb had found an Iceland Gull, and to my delight it appeared to be in a third-winter plumage, a plumage tick!
Then as light faded Paula abandoned me again as I went to Newhaven Harbour for my final bit of Gull action, where a juvenile Iceland Gull (found earlier on my Les Bird) was present, and then a first-winter Caspian Gull joined the large assemblage of Gulls. At least 520 Herring Gulls were also on the beach, with a few argentatus mixed in.
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first-winter Caspian Gull - presumably the same bird as Richard's 1w
yesterday, though I'm not entirely convinced yet.
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| second-winter Caspian Gull |
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| third-winter Caspian Gull |
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| adult Caspian Gull - presumably Richard's bird from yesterday |
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third-winter Iceland Gull at Arlington. Completely the wrong camera settings
for the bottom image but I managed to tweak it so it looks slightly less like
an Ivory Gull.
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juv. Iceland Gull at Newhaven Harbour
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| first-winter Caspian Gull at Newhaven Harbour |
