Gulls and parakeets around Shoreham (22-24 December)

Friday 24 December. Cookie and I seawatched from Widewater from 08:00 and were joined by David Buckingham. I saw 9 Brent Geese, female Red-breasted Merganser, 2 Great Crested and a Slavonian Grebe, 13 Kittiwakes, 2 Guillemots, 26 Razorbills, 41 auk sp., 16 Red-throated Divers, 17 Gannets and a Shag. Most were flying west, the Slav appeared to be drifting that way although was only seen twice briefly. After 90 minutes what little passage there was started drying up and we left for the Adur at 09:50. There were a decent number of gulls on the exposed sandbars but the tide was coming. There were about 500 Herring Gulls, 42 Great Black-backs but just 6 Lesser Black-backs. Closer examination revealed a first-winter Great Black-backed Gull with a Norwegian colour-ring, my 50th different colour-ringed Great Black-back between the railway and A27. It, J08AJ, had been ringed on Ålesund, off the west coast of Norway on 1 July. More interesting was another unfamiliar colour-ringed gull that I couldn't put a name to. Thinking it most likely an argentatus Herring Gull I was surprised to learn the scheme was from a Czech colony of Caspian and Yellow-legged Gulls. Continuing to check the flock, as birds were fairly mobile, we picked out an adult argentatus Herring Gull, an adult Yellow-legged Gull and a first-winter Caspian Gull, although the latter wasn't an absolute classic. In the afternoon I took Cookie for a walk and saw the parakeets again in their usual tree,

Czech gull 618:U

presumably a hybrid, I hope to learn more from the scheme involved

argentatus Herring Gull on the Adur

Yellow-legged Gull still on the Adur

first-winter Caspian Gull on the Adur

looks like the parakeets will be spending Christmas together

Thursday 23 December. Megan, and I took Cookie to the Adur walking down the east side into town and back by the airfield. At least 500 gulls were on the sandbanks before the tide covered them. They included 67 Great and 22 Lesser Black-backs and an adult Yellow-legged. Also 90+ Lapwing and the 2 Grey Plover. Later a Sparrowhawk flew over our garden and I took Cookie to look for the parakeets with both Lord Derby's and Ring-necked present.

Yellow-legged Gull on the Adur

Lord Derby's Parakeet, Middle Road, Shoreham

with much slimmer Ring-necked Parakeet

Wednesday 22 December. I went to Widewater with Cookie arrivung just afyter 08:00. I seawatched for an hour then walked to Eastern Sands, cutting the visit short when notified of a delivery slot for a Christmas parcel which started in 25 minutes. A Brent Goose was on the lagoon, 2 Great Crested Grebes on the sea and 15 Kittiwakes, 24 auks (the closest 6 identifiably Razorbills), 14 Red-throated and 2 distant Divers and 6 Gannets flew mostly east. My auk numbers were particularly disappointing given over 2000 Razorbills were seens passing Seaford. Late afternoon Megan, Cookie and I went to the allotment, me armed with camera and binoculars on the off-chance the Lord Derby's and Ring-necked Parakeets were in their favourite tree opposite the entrance. They were, although my attempts at photography left a lot to be desired.

Brent Goose on Widewater

                             

Lord Derby's and Ring-necked Parakeets, Middle Road, Shoreham

Ring-necked Parakeet