Sanderlings and songsters

Had an enjoyable time at the London Birders' drinks last night. Probably not quite as good a time as John A and Hawky, both of whom for once I beat to the patch this morning. Nice easterlies overnight and a bit of murk unsurprisingly meant that it wasn't a write off at Crossness, despite the lateness in the migration season.

5 of the 6 Sanderlings near the incinerator outfall, Crossness

Two distant, non-breeding (presumably 1st-summer) Barwits were in Barking Bay just shy of 8am and then a quick walk down to the incinerator outfall produced a handsome half dozen Sanderling and for once, in spring at least, these waders were on the south side of the river. I always love Sanderlings on spring passage, as they're usually the last migrant waders that I see heading north before the summer doldrums set in. John A located a further 8 Sanderlings in Barking Bay, that had dropped in since I'd arrived, while there was a 1st-summer Med Gull off the incinerator outfall. Not much else doing so we headed north a bit.

The singing Marsh Warbler was heard on arrival at Rainham, but with the wind getting up and the vegetation seeming pretty dense it was decided we wouldn't hang around to see it. A fantastic recording of this bird, and all its associated mimickry can be found clicking here. After all, the views would have been a bit poor, the song is the best bit about the bird and I'd seen one on the reserve almost to the day 5 years ago. There was also a reeling Grasshopper Warbler and a Corn Bunting trying to compete with the wind too.

Back at the incinerator outfall at Crossness this afternoon, I managed to get my highest total of Med Gulls here - four (all 1st-winter/1st-summers) and additional to the bird this morning. Always quality birds, and close to the top of my favourite species. No sign of any Bonaparte's Gulls today though, and seems like there has been a fair bit of change in the composition of the Black-headed Gull flock since last weekend.

One of five seen today - all 2nd calendar year birds

Heavy wing moult! Lack secondaries and its innermost primaries

More advanced hood than the individual above, although its wing moult is very similar

WOW

The year I was born, 1981, signified the last twitchable Orphean Warbler in Britain. Rather a lot has happened since then, including the split of the species into two - Western (hortensis) and Eastern (crassirostris). I've seen both abroad on a number of occasions, and must admit I have struggled to see hard and fast diagnosable differences in the field. Yeah, perhaps hortensis are warmer looking birds overall (especially on the rear flanks and undertail coverts) but getting them singing is the best way forward. Unless you trap one and that's what happened at Hartlepool earlier this week...

Western Orphean Warbler - WOW

Identified as a Western, based on its bill length of 16.5mm (hortensis 15.3-16.9mm and crassirostris 18.0-22.1mm per Shirihai's book). Of the previous 5 records, the first bird at Portland was identified to today's species level as a Western Orphean Warbler on the basis of a tail feather left with the record that has subsequently been DNA'ed. While the Scilly bird in 1981, looking at photos, also seems to be a Western Orphean Warbler. No idea about the other three though.

Right, that's it and looking forward to the long weekend and hopefully one more mega out of this spring.

Unbelievable - TWO Bonaparte's Gulls at Crossness

London listers had been waiting for an eternity for a Bonaparte's Gull, and so the bird I found last Saturday (19th May) was duly soaked up by all: -

1st-winter Bonaparte's Gull, 19th May - bird one. Note the isolated ear-covert spot, tertial patterning and obvious retained feathering on its median coverts

1st-winter Bonaparte's Gull, 19th May - bird one. Note the obviously greyish tinge to the nape, darkish edge to the secondaries and black tips to every retained tail feather

 And this bird then showed on the Sunday (20th May), the Monday (21st - the day I last saw it), the Tuesday (22nd - when it was well photographed by Andrew Moon and James Lowen here and here), with presumably this bird accounting for the Wednesday 23rd and Thursday 24th sightings.

With no sign on the Friday (25th), I told Josh that it was worth a shout Saturday as I imagined there wouldn't have been too much coverage and the bird had been mobile anyway - commuting between Crossness and the other side of Thames at Barking Bay. So this is what we found at the incinerator outfall yesterday (26th) morning: -

1st-summer Bonaparte's Gull, 26th May - bird two. Note the advanced hood, uniform pale edge to the secondaries (that contrasts more with the primary tips than bird one) and the newly moulted central tail feathers.

1st-summer Bonaparte's Gull, 26th May - bird two. Again, the hood is obvious while the retained feathers in the greater coverts and tertials are different to bird 1.

Having not seen the bird in the flesh since Monday (21st) and the last photos I'd seen were dated 22nd, I was pretty amazed how much the bird had moulted - as you'll see from what I said yesterday on my blog post.

Anyway, I got a call this afternoon from David Bradnum who suggested that there were actually two birds. Something I was not wholly surprised about, based on yesterday's bird, but for the London location this was almost pie in the sky stuff. He'd been told to look out for a bird acquiring a hood, as this is what I'd said to Jonathan L and Dom M yesterday. Anyway, David had seen a Bonaparte's Gull and it wasn't hooded, and looked unlike the bird Josh and I had seen yesterday morning. He'd just seen this, the original bird, at Barking Bay (more shots from today by Jake E can be found here): -

1st-winter Bonaparte's Gull, Barking Bay, 27th May - bird 1. (photo copyright David Bradnum)

And so, there you have it - Bonaparte's Gulls in London; they're like bloody London buses. You wait ages for one and two come at once. After all those trips to Ireland looking to find this species, I've now found two in the birding wasteland of London within a week. Shit really does happen!

Summary to date on the Bonaparte's Gulls at Cross Ness: -
Bird 1 present 19th to 27th May 2012
Bird 2 present on 26th May 2012

Bonaparte's, Brent and bits at Crossness

Just before picking Josh up at the tube station this morning, I managed a quick walk around Canada Water where I recorded a high total of 5 singing Reed Warblers. We then headed off east to Crossness where, under clear blue skies, Paul H's adult Dark-bellied Brent was roosting on the other side of the river in Barking Bay.
Walking east along the Thames path, and despite negative news yesterday, I was pretty sure that the 1st-summer Bonaparte's Gull would still be about. And indeed it was - quickly found off the incinerator outfall on the falling tide from 8.50am-9.30am. Blimey though, this bad boy had changed its look since Monday having moulted through a nice mottled hood.

Bonaparte's Gull now sporting semi-summer attire

Little and large...

Atmospheric shot - imagine the backdrop of a picturesque and remote rocky coast with a Bonaparte's Gull feeding in the surf. The reality is an outfall in the Thames with floating turds and factories.

So, while getting our fill of the gull and watching a Little Egret drop in too, the Dark-bellied Brent Goose decides to fly in and land on the river before drifting towards Belvedere. The paddocks promised a lot, but delivered nothing bar a single LRP and a happy looking fox slap bang in the middle of the scrapes. Back at the river, there was no sign of the Bonaparte's and Mr Lethbridge and Dom were failing from the other side too. However, they did locate a 1st-summer Grey Plover which was nice, if a little distant.

A quick sweep of the Rotherhithe loop delivered not much at the beach as a couple of goths were pissing the gulls while walking on the Thames foreshore, though I was made up with three pairs of Common Terns on Surrey Water - with birds bizarrely perching on lamp posts within the foliage - and two Sand Martins over the Old Salt Quay pub.

An urban tern

Wood Sands and Bonaparte's Gull still

I had a stroll at Crossness this evening. Rude not to really with nice weather and good birds. There were a couple of NTGG ringed gulls off the golf centre as I arrived, amongst a load of large gulls that included 4 Yellow-legged Gulls. Couldn't see the Bonaparte's on this side of the river, so headed east to the paddocks where Kev J had found a Wood Sandpiper earlier in the day.

Wood Sandpiper on West Paddock, Crossness

It was still there, and showing nicely from the screen in the gloom. All of a sudden, it disappeared into the grass and seconds later there was a Wood Sandpiper on the far flood. It hadn't flown there, but what John A and I now know is that our suspicions of two birds were confirmed soon after by Tony W. So, 2 Wood Sands - the first at Crossness this spring.

John A got a call from Dom M as we headed back towards the incinerator, and it was good news - he'd got the Bonaparte's Gull on the other side of the river (as it seems to be most of the time) in Barking Bay. In the last rays of light, viewing across the river, the Bonaparte's Gull was present alongside 5 Black-headed Gulls though the views were slightly underwhelming to say the least.

Have a load of Bonaparte's Gulls - Ontario December 2011

Bonaparte's Gull still on the river

Pretty cold this morning, with an obvious change in wind direction to the north. I arrived at 7ish again, and there was a small crowd gathered in the gloom waiting for the Bonaparte's Gull to show. It took an hour or so, but sharp-eyed Paul H on the other side of the river found it again in Barking Bay - just as I'd arrived at the incinerator! So a nice walk back of a mile or so from where I'd just come from. Anyway, to cut a long story short, I first had the Bonaparte's Gull flying west quite close and then much more distantly on the other side of the river (from the golf centre) for a much more prolonged period. After I left, it was seen further east off the stone barges at Rainham before returning to Crossness/Barking Bay this evening.

1st-summer Med Gull

Not much else doing, but a nice 1st-summer Med Gull was on the foreshore - this bird the same as that seen on Friday and a plumage I rarely see - along with a handful of Yellow-legged Gulls as usual. Finally, it's probably the last time I'll see Ian M at Crossness before his move to the Midlands so all the best mate; it's been a genuine pleasure.

Some of yesterday's big hitting crowd

London's first bona fide Bonaparte's Gull

As always, I struggled to get up this morning but was on the patch at Crossness just before 7am.Overcast with not much doing on the Thames, but I enjoyed all the showy Whitethroats. It really was quiet in Barking Bay and off the golf centre with nada in the way of waders. So I walked east, heading for the paddocks to check for passers and any smalls on the flood. But I never got there...

I plonked my scope down by the incinerator outfall, hoping that yesterday's Med Gull might still be around. Scanning the gulls along the foreshore, I tracked onto something that immediately made woke me up, gave me a real rush of adrenaline. For bloody ever, John A, Ian M and I have always been saying that this will be where London's first Bonaparte's gets found. And, f**k me right there was a proper candidate. It needed to fly (to nail the underwing), come a bit closer but it was going to be one for sure. And with every second counting and John A unable to get out (but he did on my call!), the big dick London players were tipped off to be on their way. I also gave Hawky a call on the north side, and just as all this commotion was going on, the bad boy obliged and came closer - and it was, as expected, a properly nice 1st-summer Bonaparte's Gull. London's first bona fide Bonaparte's - RBA and Jerry were duly called, so time to get the party started.

The bird flew west after a short while, and Hawky did a proper bit of squinting and expertly picked it up on our side of the river from his side. This was as John A arrived, so the three of us had seen it now. But, just before Crossness's longest stalwart Ian M arrived it did the dirty and headed upriver. Good to see a few guys turn up pretty quickly - Bob W, James L, James H, Johnny A, Mick S - but it was Keith H who relocated it west of the lighthouse on the far side of the Thames. So it was now time for Hawky and Shaun H to get the shots, while London's number 1 Andrew M, Roy B, Andrew S and Andrew V had to make do with distant views from our side. I left when a certain annoyingly vocal crowd member arrived, drowning out even the raucous local Starlings.

There is one accepted London record of Bonaparte's Gull as it stands - a first-winter seen at Barn Elms on 29th Jan 1983. This record is in need of reappraisal as the single observer has supplied Surrey and southwest London's birders with a lot of reports of good birds that they have not seen. So everyone (apart from one man) is treating this bad boy as London's first...