It was a windy but sunny morning when I went down to the Ferry today. I managed to arrive just as one of the local fishermen was serving up breakfast........bits of leftover fish for the local gulls! No wonder there's a healthy population of them there. I just had to watch these two on the slipway:
This situation looked a bit odd as the older bird doesn't look quite old enough to be a parent - or am I wrong?
The older bird looks very bemused!
This was a surprise - a greater black-backed gull! I didn't realise what it was until I looked at my book at home to check out the pink legs.
A young herring gull helping itself.
Another surprise - the first of two ringed juveniles I saw. The ring here reads ZKC.
Give me MORE!
MORE!
The second ringed juvenile. This ring read VRL.
This bird is very in-your-face - check out the older bird's near panic!
Enjoy, as always.
Our herring gulls are red listed birds. Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.
A ring on each leg too Clare, I wonder if they were ringed at Landguard, East Lane, Orfordness/Havergate?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/16304936@N06/
http://suffolk.activeboard.com/f528553/birds-of-suffolk/
I don't know, John - it's the first time I've seen ringed gulls. I don't know where to check out the rings, either.
Lovely to see the gull pics, Clare. I think your ringing scheme is this one: http://www.cr-birding.org/node/385
My blog: http://mazzaswildside.blogspot.co.uk/
My Flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/124028194@N04/
Great photos, love that GBBG
Of all creatures, man is the most detestable, he is the only creature that inflicts pain for sport, knowing it to be pain. ~ Mark Twain
Thanks, Aiki and Judi - Aiki, I'm going to email my sightings to him and see what comes back!
I've had an email back - one of them was ringed on Havergate and the other on the roof of the Itron factory, a stone's throw from my workplace in Felixstowe.
2 right out of 4 then Clare
Out of interest, John, where is East Lane?
East Lane is at Bawdsey village, Clare, take the narrow road to East Lane opposite Bawdsey Village Church, there is a gravel car park
There are 4 reservoir lakes which are viewable from the sea bund, I believe at the moment there is a Greater Scaup [just checked it is still there today]
www.freewebs.com/.../september2013.htm
Near to the third Martello Tower is where I saw the Corn Buntings a few weeks ago
Thanks, John - I might have to check it out.