A Good Morning at Chouet landfill - 2nd Breeding Lesser Black-backed Gull Comes Home!

As the light is slowly beginning to pull out in the mornings I managed an hour at Chouet landfill before work. A superb session with 3,000+ gulls - mostly Herring, but with c 100 Great Black-backed Gulls and 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

The highlight was the return of Lesser Black-backed Gull White 6.Z8 (originally ringed as an adult in one of the Sark nesting colonies in May 2009). Seen in Guernsey until 29/08/09, then recorded four times over the winter (from 25/09/09 - 04/12/09 at two landfills in North-west France).

Chouet landfill 21 January 2010

88 colour ringed Herrng Gulls recorded - all Guernsey birds, except Orange JR.2T (the 1st winter from Essex - Paul Roper).

Only five cr Great Black-backed Gulls this morning - four Guernsey birds (three adults and one 1st winter) and one from France - Blue 26C (Seine-Maritime - Gilles Le Guillou).

Great Black-backed Gull Yellow 0J3 (Guernsey)

GBBG Yellow 0P0 (Guernsey)

I was also very pleased today to receive news from Gabriel Martin in Spain of the sighting of LBBG White 5.U8 on 16 January 2010 at Alcazar de San Juan landfill, Cuidad Real, (ringed on the nest on Burhou, Alderney in June 2009) and seen at Portimao, Portugal on 16 September 2009 (Rob Voesten and Stef Waasdorp).

LBBG 5.U8 Alcazar de San Juan - Gabriel Martin

40 more cr Herring Gulls (all local) during 30 minutes at Chouet landfill and Chouet Landfill Beach at lunchtime.