A wandering Mediterranean Gull (29 January)

Wednesday 29 January. The highlight of a morning visit to the River Adur with Cookie were two Mediterranean Gulls on the river bank by Ricardo's. One was colour-ringed - my 300th colour-ringed reading on the Adur between the A27 fly-over and the sea, involving 180 individuals of eight gull species. Otherwise it was quiet with 7 Redshank and 2 Little Grebes. 

Danish Mediterranean Gull 37L3 on the River Adur. A well travelled bird, it was ringed as a chick in Copenhagen in June 2013 and seen at two sites in Cork November 2013 and  March 2014, Gibraltar Point on 01 May 2014, another and one of the original sites in Cork in March 2015, Syddanmark in Denmark in August 2016, Antwerpen in Belgium in July 2018, a fourth site in Cork in July 2018, Sandwell Valley RSPB in West Midlands on 27 December 2019 and Upton Warren, Worcestershire on 16 January 2020. Thanks to Camille Duponcheel for a copy of its history by return of email.

this unringed Mediterranean Gull was nearby

Tuesday 28 January. I took Cookie to the Adur where we walked a circuit crossing the river by the Norfolk and Old Toll Bridges. The highlight was seeing again Polish Black-headed Gull TUXR although there were more birds around than usual. I also saw 6 Oystercatchers, 110 Lapwing, 7 Turnstone, 7 Redshank, Little Grebe, Little Egret, Raven (on the mud), 7 Sky Larks, Stonechat, Rock Pipit, 25 Linnets and 3 Reed Buntings.

Polish Black-headed Gull TUXR on the River Adur, my third sighting of this bird this winter. It was ringed as an adult 60km NW Lodz in June 2016.

Monday 27 January. Megan and I took Cookie to Shoreham Harbour and walked along the boardwalk. We couldn't find any Greenfinches but back at the harbour three Purple Sandpipers were feeding at the inner base of the western arm giving my best views this winter by a long way. Harbour Way had produced nothing on the way but on our return a Mediterranean Gull and Polish Black-headed Gull T5PE was again present. 

one of three Purple Sandpipers at Shoreham Harbour

Polish Black-headed Gull T5PE at Harbour Way. My fourth sighting here or on the Adur since early December, it had been ringed as an adult at Koronowo, Kujawsko-Pomoroskie in May 2017 and I'd also seen it here in February 2019.

Mediterranean Gull at Harbour Way, always a nice bird to see around Shoreham

Sunday 26 January. Megan and I took Cookie to Brooklands, having only returned from Myanmar at midnight it was about all I could manage. We saw 8 Teal, male Pochard, a Little Grebe and a Great Spotted Woodpecker. I wasn't expecting much more although disappointingly the rough field bordering the A259 had been cut and so was devoid of  Stonechat and Reed Buntings.

Pochard at Brooklands, about as exciting as it got