Caspian Gull or not in the Shoreham area (28 January-07 February 2026)

Wednesday 28 January 2026. Adur with Megan and Otis: Little Grebe, 105 Lapwing, 2 Grey Plover, 83 Dunlin, the adult Little and 2 adult Mediterranean Gulls, Skylark heard, Chiffchaff and Rock Pipit.

Thursday 29 January 2026. Widewater, 08:10-09:40 in mod SE: Brent Goose 22E, Common Scoter 4E, Red-breasted Merganser male and female E then W, Kittiwake 2E:6W, Razorbill 5E:2W: 4 on sea, auk sp. 7E, Red-throated Diver 5E:35W, Black-throated Diver 1E, Fulmar 1E:1W (crossed paths) and Gannet 25+ offshore. Widewater lagoon-Lancing Beach Green with Megan and Otis: just 20 Mute Swans, red-head Goosander, 4 Little Grebes, Moorhen and 7 Coot.

red-head Goosander on Widewater

Friday 30 January 2026. Stock Dove in our garden. Adur, very wet afternoon low tide with Otis: 2 Little Grebes, 108 Lapwing, 200+ Black-headed and 540 Common Gulls, a classic first-winter Caspian Gull and another first-winter with seemingly minor imperfections (some barring on greater coverts and rather coarse mantle plumage which might have been due to it being rather wet).

first-winter Caspian Gull on the Adur. Phone-scoped in heavy rain, My usual camera is in for repair (water damage) and the old backup inexplicably switched to 'macro' mode after 2 images. I had taken a small camera for emergency use with my scope but its battery only managed 3 images before dying).

it had a colour ring (green R|C) from a mixed colony in the Netherlands

it looked like a classic to me with a black bill, sloping forehead, clean white head and underparts, greyish mantle, brown unbarred coverts, thin white edges to tertials, black primaries and long pale flesh legs. Despite all that it came back as a hybrid Herring x Caspian Gull ringed as a chick at Bataviahaven, Lelystad, Flevoland, Netherlands on 31 May 2025. It rather dents my confidence in identifying even what seem to me rather obvious Caspian Gulls

also in the flock was another first-winter Caspian Gull contender (front right) that looked good structurally but with courser plumage which I put down to it being wet although I'm not sure that explained the barring on its outer greater coverts

Saturday 31 January 2026. Widewater seawatch 08:10-09:10, clear, bright, mod S: Teal 10E, Common Scoter 4E,  Red-breasted Merganser 5E? (very distant), Great Crested Grebe 2 on sea, Kittiwake  8E:17W (3 juvs), Guillemot 1W, Razorbill 5E:59W:16 on sea, Red-throated Diver 14E:7W, diver sp. 5E:1W and Gannet 26W. On lagoon: red-head Goosander, 11 Little Grebes, Moorhen, 7 Coot. Buckingham Park with Megan and Otis: Stock Dove and a drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker. Adur, late afternoon low tide: Little Grebe, 96 Lapwing, Common Sandpiper, adult Mediterranean, 300 Black-headed and 250 Common Gulls. Also better views of yesterdays imperfect first-winter Caspian Gull. With better views (it not being wet for a start) it appeared to have more imperfections than I'd previously noticed and might be best referred to as what some are calling 'Cactus' Gulls (cachinnans x argentatus). Thanks to Dave Cooper and Matt Palmer for comments.

yesterday's Caspian contender not looking quite so convincing in better weather with a full set of barred greater coverts on its right side. Back up camera no longer on macro!

Sunday 01 February 2026. Shoreham Fort/Boardwalk with Megan and Otis: 3 Turnstones on the West Arm and a Red-throated Diver on the sea. Sullington Way: female Lord Derby's and male Ring-necked Parakeets in their favoured tree late afternoon.

Monday 02 February 2026. Southwick Canal with Megan and Otis: nothing of note. We had intended crossing the lock gates to walk to the harbour's Eastern Arm but first the small lock was closed to us then just as it was opening the large lock closed to pedestrians. Memories of being stuck on the way home from work for 10-15 minutes in poor weather made us divert to Southwick Canal. We were level with the Power Station by the time the lock gates opened.

Tuesday 03 February 2026. Shoreham Harbour East Arm with Otis: Great Crested Grebe on sea, 2 Purple Sandpipers (one on East Arm, one below wooden jetty, 13 Turnstones, 51 Razorbills, 17 auk sp, 20 Gannets and 6 Cormorants. Shoreham College: Jay. Sullington Way: female Lord Derby's and male Ring-necked Parakeets in their favoured tree late afternoon

Scottish trawlers returning to Shoreham Harbour

The Cornelis-GertJan passing the wooden jetty where it disturbed one of the two Purple Sandpipers there causing it to fly onto the East Arm

Purple Sandpiper on the East Arm of Shoreham Harbour

Wednesday 04 February 2026. Rackham Woods, brief scan of Amberley Wild Brooks and Parham Park with Megan and Otis: 2 Egyptian Geese, 100+ Wigeon, 20+ Pintail, 500+ Lapwing, very distant White-tailed Eagle sat in a tree, 2 Red Kites, 7 Buzzards, Great Spotted and Green Woodpeckers, Jay, Coal Tit, Nuthatch heard, Treecreeper, Redwing and 4 Goldfinches.

Thursday 05 February 2026. Buckingham Park with Megan and Otis: Goldcrest. No sign of any parakeets late afternoon.

Friday 06 February 2016. Adur with Megan and Otis: Little Grebe, 110 Lapwing, 2 Grey Plover, adult Mediterranean, 34 Great and 6 adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Jay, Skylark heard singing (thanks to new hearing aids, still couldn't see it though), 2 Meadow Pipits and a Goldfinch. With camera mended I took Otis to look for the parakeets, both were present above the Sullington Way bus stop late afternoon.

Lord Derby's Parakeet keeping an eye on Otis and me as we loitered at Sullington Wat bus stop

Ring-necked Parakeet companion

Saturday 07 February 2016. Brooklands with Megan and Otis: 15 Moorhens, 60 Coot, Kestrel, Jay heard, Coal and Long-tailed Tits and 2 Chaffinches. Sullington Way: female Lord Derby's and male Ring-necked Parakeets in their favoured tree late afternoon.

both parakeets