This morning's Caspian Gull was photographed by Pete Merchant as it skated around on the first ice of the year. Not a particularly big individual and I suspect that it is a new bird. A little earlier Shetland Wildlife posted on Facebook about a huge influx of Iceland Gulls into the Northern Isles with over 30 around Shetland alone. I reposnded to their post asking if they could send one this way and that I would happily swap one for a Caspian Gull (which I believe has yet to be recorded in Shetland). No sooner had I finished typing than the radio goes off to say 'Iceland Gull flying over the pools!' Amazing! I have never come across mail that moves that quickly!
Note the very white underwings, long completely white tip to the outer primary (known at p10 to gull fans!) and the narrow black bar across the white tip of the next one in (p9). Sorry, a bit anoraky but this is the sort of detail that you have to look for!
Howard Vaughan, Information Officer