Finishing off another winter at the tip

Not being able to get out much last weekend due to other commitments, it was a joy to be enjoying the sweet smell of landfill sites again this morning. Perhaps the last visit of the winter, what with being away next weekend and then most gulls moving off, it was really nice to have a couple of first-winter Caspian Gulls to round things off: -

1st-winter Caspian Gull Essex 28th March 2015 - ringed here at the tip last weekend as J3NT

1st-winter Caspian Gull Essex 28th March 2015

One of these birds, as you see above, was ringed by the NTGG last weekend - gutted I wasn't there to see it in the hand; they also ringed an adult Glaucous Gull that is now in Northamptonshire so suitably gripped once again. Anyway, back to today, where as well as the Casps there were a couple of Yellow-legged Gulls (an adult and first-winter) as well as a handful of Mediterranean Gulls (three adults and two first-winters). As has often been the case this winter, the hybrid second-winter Iceland Gull imposter (presumably a Herring x Glaucous Gull hybrid) was present again along with a regular leucistic bird.

2nd-winter hybrid gull Essex 28th March 2015; present for the last couple of months on and off; though mimicking an Iceland Gull it does seem to feel as though one parent is a Herring Gull (with the other parent presumably a Glaucous Gull as Iceland Gulls apparently don't interbreed)

leucistic Herring Gull Essex 28th March 2015; a regular bird this winter (with an East Anglia Gull Group ringed 2nd-winter Herring Gull)

Things got more and more blowy as the day went on, with it being difficult to angle the Land Rover to view birds anything other than side on. The tip face was in a bit of an awkward position, but I was able to manoeuvre us to a flat area where we could see the melee as well as an adjacent flat area. A few ringed birds, all local though, as well as one of the freakiest billed gulls I've ever seen: -

1st-winter Herring Gull Essex 28th March 2015

So as mentioned at the start of this post, this could be it for tip visits for me this winter. I'll be away next weekend and then hopefully spring migration will kick in as the gulls disperse. Being honest, it has been an expensive (half a dozen punctures) and frustrating (a couple of headache inducing hybrids lingering on) winter although with a couple of Glaucous Gulls, an Iceland Gull and around 40 Caspian Gulls recorded it was certainly worth it. Having the privilege of viewing gulls close up on a weekly basis is something I don't take for granted either, and with landfill sites as we know them on their way out with a preference for incinerators and recycling these days, every winter from now on up at the tip will be treated as if it's the last one... roll on winter 2015/16!

Good gull haul on a dusty tip

I wasn't able to get out last weekend, with the only bird of note being a Little Egret in Barnston, Essex. Therefore, despite a hefty cold that has wiped me out most of the week, I was looking forward to today's tip visit. Bright skies and breezy to start off with, clouding over later as the morning progressed. It's not something that happens too often due to the usual rain in the weather, but with 10 or so days with very little water falling from the heavens, the tip was dry. And with the wind, it was blowing dust around like nobody's business.

The easterly wind also presumably had an impact on an increase in Caspian Gulls present today. A couple of weeks ago we drew a blank, and in my absence last week Steve A only had two. So the six present today was the peak count this year, and brings the tally for winter to over 40 individuals (more than 2013/14 despite a reduced number of visits due to 'tyre pressure'). Today's haul included a slick 3rd-winter, a rather solid-looking, bleached 2nd-winter with reduced P10 mirrors and four 1st-winters of differing sizes and darkness.

Bird 1 - 1st-winter Caspian Gull

Bird 2 - 1st-winter Caspian Gull; a small and rather dark individual

Bird 3 - 2nd-winter Caspian Gull; a bleached and solid looking individual with very small mirrors to P10

Bird 4 - 3rd-winter Caspian Gull

Bird 5 - 1st-winter Caspian Gull

Bird 6 - 1st-winter Caspian Gull

As well as the Caspian Gulls, there was once again a white-winged gull headache present. The bird present in late January and documented here looked much paler and Iceland Gull-like today in the warm early morning light. And having learnt something about looking at features and ignoring the 'feel' of the bird from two weeks ago, then is there actually that much wrong with it being a 2nd-winter Iceland Gull?

One thing is for sure, Steve A and I have drawn the short straw in terms of the Iceland Gulls that have turned up this winter. That's if that's what they both are. Slightly older and more straightforward was an adult Great Black-backed Gull that had been ringed as a chick in southwest Norway in July 1994.

20 year old Great Black-backed Gull JH417 - ringed as a chick at Kjellingen, Mandal, Vest-Agder, Norway on 8th July 1994; its colour ring was attached on 3rd June 2011 and it has been seen subsequently at Dungeness, Kent on 4th March 2012, Hirtshals Havn, Søren Nordbysvej, Nordjylland, Denmark on 24th December 2014 and Boulogne-sur-Mer, France 4th January 2015 as well as each summer on its breeding grounds in southwest Norway.

Good pushes of Lesser Black-backed Gulls this time of year is typical, and amongst the decent number of adults, were a couple of NTGG ringed birds and a couple of intermedius types. A dozen or so adult Med Gulls were back too, with several paired up. Looking forward to next weekend!

Saturday's gull again

A few tweets and facebook messages later, not everyone is agreeing. And that's what is good about gulls as it's not necessarily a precise science. Saturday's gull (see here) continues to polarise views with Glaucous, Iceland and hybrid all still being suggested by individuals who all know something about gulls.

So now I've had a bit of time to sleep on things, look objectively at it as well as take in points made by others. There is actually a different way of looking at things compared to Saturday's subjective, jizz related observation.

2nd-winter Iceland Gull Essex 28th February 2015?

One of Europe's top gullers, who to his credit doesn't sit on the fence, got me to think slightly differently. What are the characteristics of a 2nd-winter Iceland Gull?
- tepid green/yellow bill with black subterminal band
- pale iris
- white plumage with some hoary marking on the coverts
- dark pink legs
- long primary projection

2nd-winter Iceland Gull Essex 28th February 2015?

Does this bird show all of the above features? Yes. Therefore it's a 2nd-winter Iceland Gull. Despite the structure being more stocky, Herring Gull-esque, it should still be within the range of a very large Iceland Gull. There are no plumage traits that suggest otherwise [and of course Iceland Gulls do not interbreed].

2nd-winter Iceland Gull Essex 28th February 2015?

This bird has and is a massive headache, and has been put to one side by one of Britain's best bird finders, identified as a Glaucous Gull in Surrey, an Iceland Gull in Essex (well done Paul H!) and as a suspect, potential Herring Gull hybrid by yours truly most recently.

It takes a bloke with bigger bollocks than most to change their mind, so there you go. And I'm warming to the glaucoides idea. In the grand scheme of things though, few people are interested in gulls anyway...

Back on the tip and 'that' gull

This time last week I was still in the sunshine of southern California. In contrast today, it was grey and dismal on the tip in Essex. And it took almost three hours to get up there! While I'd been away, Steve had again been unlucky on the tyre front again - it must be half a dozen we've shredded this winter. After going into a local fitting shop and getting our new off-road tyres on the rims, we had to jack the Land Rover up and change things ourselves.

But it was all worth it, just to get a few rings and find that the juvenile Glaucous Gull was still about, albeit briefly. Highlight (it was to me anyhow) was seeing in the flesh what seems to be the same bird that has recently been troubling a few birders with its identity both at Rainham and in Surrey at Beddington and the reservoir roosts - opinion divided between Iceland and Glaucous Gulls. I had a couple of email conversations with people about this bird while I was in California, and remained (untypically) rather non-committal. However, I benefited from seeing it up relatively close and immediately it felt all 'wrong' for both species; size wise it was very similar structurally to a Herring Gull and with a relatively long primary projection it wasn't your average Glaucous Gull. Its tepid bill with dark subterminal band, and pale eye, too didn't feel to fit completely either. I'd go for it being either a leucistic Herring Gull or potentially with some Glaucous genes mixed through.

And just to add to the headache, in amongst the half dozen or so frisky Mediterranean Gulls seen today, was this hybrid bird (complete with a Polish ring): -

hybrid Mediterranean x Black-headed Gull

There were also a couple of Yellow-legged Gulls (first and second-winters) but disappointingly drew a blank on Caspian Gulls today.

2nd-winter Yellow-legged Gull

California day seven - Santa Barbara to Los Angeles

All good things come to an end. Saturday was the last day in California, and we wanted to make the most of the day as we were due to fly back to London from Los Angeles mid evening. Before the birding started, we had a bit of good value in the beachside parking lot. There was this big guy sitting in his van near where we were scanning the beach, and he just threw his rubbish out into the parking lot! An attendant came over, picked it up and asked him why he did that - to which this guy replied 'because I'm sick'. Anyway, I had never seen such blatant contempt for the environment and laziness, even here in the US. Compelled to say something, I approached the guy and said 'hello, we've been travelling around California and you are undoubtedly our c**t of the week'. To which he said 'thank you'. Some people never learn...

So birding wise, we started off in Santa Barbara, a place I know well and only an hour or two from the airport. First off was Alice Keck Park, where there's been a regularly returning Thayer's Gull for the last few winters. It hadn't been reported recently, so it was a little surprising to find it present on arrival.

adult Thayer's Gull Santa Barbara, California

It didn't stay long though, and hadn't returned an hour or so later either. Quite a few interesting gulls around the pond here too, including a nice looking 1st-winter American Herring Gull as well as a couple of hybrids.

1st-winter American Herring Gull Santa Barbara, California

The beach itself was quite busy once the sun came out mid-morning. And suffice to say, our last bit of gull action produced some showy birds of the usual species.

adult California Gull Santa Barbara, California

adult Heermann's Gull Santa Barbara, California

We headed off east along the coast road early afternoon, with the intention of targeting one species - Lawrence's Goldfinch. It seems as though it has been a good winter for this sometimes tricky species, and armed with Ebird reports, we headed to Thousand Oaks and an area of weeds just north of the Lutheran University. At least 70 birds were found here, all in a tight though mobile flock. Loads of males too, and a splendid end to another decent trip in the US.

Lawrence's Goldfinch Thousand Oaks, California

California day six - Monterey to Pixley NWR

It was another dull morning, with the low cloud hugging the the coastline. A few Heermann's and Mew Gulls were noted at Fisherman's Wharf, along with ringed Brown Pelicans, while a couple of Black Turnstones were on the rocks at Point Pinos. With the gulls (and light) not cooperating, we headed to the outskirts of Monterey to Lagunita Mirada Park. A Red-naped Sapsucker had been found here a couple of days ago - and as this was a species I'd not seen before - it was nice to easily stroll up and see it. I imagine it had been present a while before its discovery, given the copious amounts of sap ridden holes present. A rather dull Varied Thrush was present briefly too.

Red-naped Sapsucker Monterey, California

Today was always going to be a day of travel, heading south so as to be able to go birding tomorrow before the late evening flight back to London. A check of Soap Lake didn't produce the Tundra Swan reported yesterday evening, and so we headed southeast three hours to the barren landscape at Pixley NWR. I always think of California as windswept beaches and upmarket housing, but if you head inland a couple of hours it's for sure a different, more greyer and deprived world. The Sandhill Cranes didn't mind it though, and we probably saw in excess of a thousand birds grazing the fields and dancing around in front of us. It was really good value.

Sandhill Cranes Pixley NWR, California

The real reason we'd made this detour was to see a Harris' Sparrow - a species I'd wanted to see for a long time, and pretty tricky to catch up with (or non-existent) in all the states I'd been to before. There hadn't been any news the previous day, but within twenty or so minutes of scanning through White-crowned and Golden-crowned Sparrows in a scrubby area near the viewing platform it wasn't a major surprise when I located it. And it turned out to perform nicely too.

Harris' Sparrow Pixley NWR, California

The whole reserve was bird filled, putting to shame our reserves on just the scale of birds present. Among the large numbers of Pintail and Shoveler, a few Northern Harriers cruised over, a Great Horned Owl perched up in a distant bush and a group of fifty or so Snow Geese (including a handful of blue morphs) flew over. Standard stuff such as Black-necked Stilts and Killdeer were also present, while driving out of the reserve alongside loads of Sandhill Cranes was pretty special too.

California day five - Oakland to Half Moon Bay

It was a pretty murky morning as we headed into Oakland and along the shores of Lake Merritt. Lots of gulls about, but just Ring-billed, Westerns, the odd Glaucous-winged and California and a single American Herring. This site has previously been a good bet for Barrow's Goldeneye, but there haven't been any about regularly this winter. Nevertheless some showy Canvasbacks, Lesser Scaup and Black-crowned Night Herons as well as a couple of Belted Kingfishers were nice enough before we braved the San Francisco rush hour traffic and headed south over the Bay Bridge.

drake Canvasback Lake Merritt, California

By mid-morning, the gloom had turned into a nice morning. And with the aid of some directions, we headed into Golden Gate Park, and to an area of log piles near the junction of Nancy Pelosi Drive and Martin Luther King Drive. Here, it took about half an hour to locate the overwintering Rustic Bunting as it lurked in among the juncos - never coming out of the undergrowth, it didn't show too badly at all. Quite a contrast searching for this alongside White-crowned, Golden-crowned, Song and Fox Sparrows while American Robins hopped about with Townsend's Warblers in the trees above!

Rustic Bunting (above two images) Golden Gate Park, California

Townsend's Warbler Golden Gate Park, California

Sooty Fox Sparrow Golden Gate Park, California

American Robin Golden Gate Park, California

Having visited Golden Gate Park a couple of times previously, I knew how photogenic some birds on the small lakes were and so ensued a bit of a papping session - Ring-necked Ducks, Pied-billed Grees, Buffleheads, Hooded Mergansers and Mew Gulls being the main targets.

drake Ring-necked Duck Golden Gate Park, California

drake Lesser Scaup Golden Gate Park, California

drake Bufflehead Golden Gate Park, California

adult Mew Gull Golden Gate Park, California

Pied-billed Grebe Golden Gate Park, California

And once we were done, we headed half an hour or south to Half Moon Bay for another visit to Venice Beach and its gulls. Plenty of nice photographs taken of commoner species, and what with just a couple of days left, I was conscious to try and stock up on the different ages of each species and get a few flight shots too. A single Heermann's Gull, four American Herring Gulls and this hybrid presumed Glaucous-winged x American Herring Gull were the highlights.

adult American Herring x Glaucous-winged Gull Half Moon Bay, California