Shoreham-by-Sea and Cuckmere gull roost (09-12 December)

Friday 09 December. Cookie and I walked down the Adur from Dacre Gardens to Cookoos Corner and back. We saw 34 Lapwings, 3 Common Snipe, 2 Common Sandpipers, Buzzard, Kingfisher (twice), Peregrine, Jay, 3 Skylarks, 7 Song Thrushes, 4 Stonechats and a Rock and 15 Meadow Pipits.

Kingfisher on the way down the river

presumably the same Kingfisher on the way back

one of the two Common Sandpipers opposite the old cement works

Stonechats by the Adur

Saturday 10 December. Megan, Cookie and I walked around the Adur by the airport seeing 2 Grey Plover, 19 Skylarks, a male Stonechat and a Rock and 7 Meadow Pipits.

Kestrel by the Adur

Stonechat opposite the airfield

Little Egret by the Adur

Sunday 11 December. Megan was going up to London but with a shortage of drivers for the rail replacement bus service from Shoreham to Brighton Cookie and I drove her over. Being part way there we continued on to Seaford Head and South Hill Barn. We walked down to Harry's Bush and Vanguard Way and spent almost 3 hours looking through the roosting gulls. For a while Jon Curson, Nick Pope and Brillo joined us but left as the weather  deteriorated. There were almost 1000 large gulls present, the majority (700+) Great Black-backs. Over 100 Herring Gulls included an obvious argentatus while amongst 100 Lesser Black-backs was an individual colour-ringed in Suffolk. Tucked away in the flock were also at least 3 Yellow-legged and 3 Caspian Gulls (2 first-winters and an adult). Also noted were 400 Wigeon, 2 Common Snipe and a Green Sandpiper.

adult argentatus Herring Gull in the Cuckmere Haven gull roost

Lesser Black-backed Gull APAJ in the Cuckmere Haven gull roost. It was ringed as a chick on Havergate Island, Suffolk in July 2009 and visited Malaga in January 2011, returned to Havergate in July 2012 and was seen at Dungeness on 19 December 2017 and 19 & 21 December 2018 and in the Cuckmere roost on 24 December 2019.

adult Yellow-legged Gull in the Cuckmere Haven gull roost

first view of a potential first-winter Caspian Gull (based on mantle, coverts, tertials and wings)

looking even more promising with its pure white head

head and bill all good too

just don't get distracted by the hooded Lesser Black-back

all too soon the flock spooked

at first it didn't look as if it would join them

it flew after my burst of shots ended and unlike most of the other gulls did not return

an hour and a half later with the gulls further into the field and JC and NP in attendance, my first view of a potential adult Caspian Gull (white head, dark bullet hole eye and extensive white on underside of p10 all encouraging)

before the adult did much a first-winter Caspian Gull appeared in the flock

the adult eventually stood up showing the head and bill I was hoping for

adult Caspian Gull extreme right and a potential first-winter extreme left

fortunately it woke up and appeared to be different to the earlier one

long legs and upright stance looking more like a Maribou Stork!

same bird digiscoped for extra reach after it went back to sleep. By now it was raining persistently making it hard to keep lenses dry so we called it a day.

Monday 12 December. Megan, Cookie and I visited Buckingham Park hoping for a few winter thrushes but only saw a Great Spotted Woodpecker. The Lord Derby's Parakeet was heard on the walk home and seen briefly on the chimney of Tesco Express.