On the tip with casps and company

It was good to be back in the gull action, as a couple of weeks in Thailand really leaves you large larid dry. So with a cold snap predicted, today was perfect timing to get back amongst it and try and see some interesting stuff on the tip. It wasn't quite as roar as I'd envisaged, but there were certainly some interesting birds present amongst the 20,000 or so gulls highlighting with a couple of nice 1st-winter Caspian Gulls: -

Bird 1 - a pretty classic bird, with perhaps more covert wear than usual and a couple of tertials dropped too. A new bird on the tip today.

 

 

Bird 2 - a worn, abraded bird where you can visibly see the primary wear in the middle photo, as well as the heavily worn tail and the chewed tips to the greater coverts. This bird was around last weekend too.

 

 

There was also an interesting looking adult Herring Gull, that can only really be described as an omissus-type based on a combination of argentatus style primaries (this bird having an extensive white tip to P10 as well as a large white tip to P9 with a back subterminal band), yellow legs and an attenuated profile.

 

Med Gulls were ever present in amongst the Black-headed Gulls - half a dozen or so seen, all adults including a green-ringed Belgian bird, and already some birds moulting head feathers through.

Plenty of bling elsewhere - Norwegian Great Black-backed Gulls, Dutch and Belgian Herring Gulls as well as the usual haul of locally ringed birds. And an enjoyable day topped off by a lovely meal this evening with my parents and Karen. Thanks to everyone involved today.