Eastoft & Albert Village Lake, 7th August 2015

"Can you tell what it is yet..."

Harvest and the subsequent ploughing seemed late on the Humber this year, and numbers of LBBs in the fields had been hard to come by. Finally, things changed however, and after the pleasant sight of 11 michs in a field south of Swinefleet, I came across another 6 by the A161 near Eastoft, along with a snouty adult Caspian Gull. To say the views were disappointing would be an understatement, the heat-haze coming off the freshly turned earth was like treacle, but it was a hell of a bird, and not the same as the one at nearby Goole in late July.

Fortunately the skies were greyer and the haze much reduced in the Midlands, and views of the gulls on Albert Village Lake were much better. I only had an hour as I had to get back home to pack the car for a family camping holiday, but the usual 2cy Caspian Gull was soon located, along with c20 michs. Many of the 2cy LBBs had now almost completed their primary moult, so I was hardly bothering to search for black primaries, instead trying to pick out a 2cy with a pink-based bill, to get better views of the previous week's Baltic.

Amazingly, after twenty minutes, I picked up such a bird: a small 2cy LBB-type with a two-tone, pink-based bill, a whitish head with streaked neck-sides, dark blackish-brown upperparts without much in the way of visible patterning, and those jet-black primaries. So far so good. I rattled off a few shots on my phone, but after less than two minutes, it flew. I tried to stay on it with the video, but unbelievably the phone rang, cutting off the recording! The perils of phone-scoping!

The bird had gone, and I was not much better off than before. I reviewed the video, and a smile crept across my face - it wasn't last week's bird, it was better than last week's bird! Like before, the secondaries and greater coverts showed no signs of moult, and there was a nick in the middle of the trailing edge of the wing resulting from missing feathers. But this bird's nick was bigger: P2 was missing and P1 was nearly 3/4 grown, a dark grey-black feather with a broad white tip, a 3rd-generation primary. So it was slightly ahead of the previous bird (but a week on, so maybe not that much more advanced), but it was what was going on at the other end of the primaries that had made me smile: the 2nd-generation P10 was only half grown, indicating that the juvenile outer primary had only recently been shed, so there were two simultaneous moult-waves going on! Staffelmauser!

montage of videograbs showing the happy news: Staffelmauser!

This moult pattern has never been recorded in (ringed) western LBBs, and indeed it is considered that any 2cy that has shed P1-3 by August can be considered an acceptable fuscus. But does that mean any will get accepted...?!

Albert Village Baltic, 30th July 2015

2cy michahellis (foreground): the subject
2cy fuscus (background): the photobomber

Lying in bed, scrolling through the 400+ images I'd taken on my phone at Albert earlier in the day, I suddenly noticed an almost complete set of 2nd-gen primaries on a spread wing in the background of one of the pictures. I'd been photographing a flapping 2cy mich, but beyond it, at the back of the flock, about half a dozen shots showed a dark-looking 2cy gull having a stretch and a flap, then it drifted out of frame.
I zoomed in, I went back and forth across the handful of shots, and it all looked right for fuscus - another late July 2cy Baltic Gull! The primaries were all 2nd-generation, confirmed as such by the presence of tiny mirrors on P10, a feature not infrequently seen on Baltics, with the exception of P1, which was a half-grown 3rd-generation feather, the tiny white tip peeping out from under the coverts. The secondaries were the now-familiar neat line of new, broadly white-tipped feathers, and the greater coverts were complete too, looking a bit worn and brown, but both these tracts lacked the moult gaps of virtually every other 2cy present. The lesser and median-coverts show a bit more variation, with a few darker, presumed newer feathers present, but all appeared to be plain or only simply-patterned, unlike the anchored and barred equivalents on nearby 2cy LBBs.

Further details were difficult to detect, but the bill looked markedly two-tone, with a pinky base and dark tip, and the legs looked pink too. The iris appeared to be dark, and the underparts whitish with some streaking around the neck-sides. The tail showed extensive dark in the tip, but again detail was non-existent in the images, and moult appeared to be nearly complete. This combination further indicated that it was indeed a 2cy, and in that state of wing moult, any other ID options seemed unlikely.
Just wish I'd seen it!

Candles, 15th Aug 2014

A few free hours saw me back at the tip after failure at the crematorium, and amongst fewer gulls I managed only 4 michs (2 ads, a 3cy and a juv). A lanky juvenile gull with long spindly legs and a long narrow bill caught my eye, but the overall dirtiness and darkness put it in the LBB folder for now...

And then minutes before I had to leave to collect the girls, a familiar little white head appeared on the ridge at the back of the flock - the 2cy Baltic Gull again! Unfortunately it didn't do much, and I really had to go.

Great Livermere, 1st Aug 2014

Thanks solely to an insomniac toddler, I had a few early hours to kill whilst staying with friends in north Cambs, so couldn't resist a quick look at the recently productive pigfields. Numbers were way down on what they are later in the day, but as well as a handful of michs, this tiny 2cy jumped out at me. Views were brief and incomplete, but it certainly had the feel of a fuscus. They say 30% of 2cys return in spring without having replaced their juvenile primaries, and this portion are the unprovables as they'll be moulting at a similar time to graellsii and intermedius. Maybe...

Candles, 29th July 2014

There had been a total absence of gulls at the tip over the last couple of months, and fears of it all being over were getting serious. But the incinerator hadn't opened yet, so surely there would be some late summer gulls looking for a warm meal hereabouts?
It was a warmer afternoon than I'd have liked, but as I scrambled up the nettle-covered (under-used!) bank, I could hear gulls! There were at least 500 over the top of the tip, and they were feeding in sight - bloody marvellous. Settling down to scan through them, thoughts turned to juvenile michs: July was almost over and I hadn't seen one yet! There were plenty of juv LBBs already, and even a couple of juv Herring Gulls, and I soon picked out a couple of adult-type michs.
My mind was wandering to other potential finds, and I started to wonder when the first Casp of the autumn might turn up (assuming the tip stays open that long!), before musing that my targets tend to be different depending on where I'm gulling. It makes no sense, but in the fields at work in Lincs and East Yorkshire, I feel much more on the look out for eastern taxa, despite the fact that Telford is only c75 miles further west!

But then a bird appeared in my scope that stopped my wandering mind in its tracks. Dazzling clean white head and body, and a gleaming white underwing too, but dark upperparts ruling out any brief thoughts of a 2cy cach. As it lowered its wings, the greater coverts stood out as a moderately worn, brownish band, whilst similar lesser and especially median coverts were interspersed with newer, blacker feathers. A handful of blackish scaps stood out amongst the paler, worn mantle too, but most importantly on the closed wing, the exposed primaries looked tar black, contrasting with every other 2cy gull on the tip, which had varying numbers of worn juvenile outer primaries. The fact that this bird possessed black 2nd-generation primaries meant it had already moulted its juvenile remiges - a sure-fire feature of 2cy Baltic Gull!

There was good news and bad news when it raised its wings again, as the expected whole set of primaries, lacking any moult gaps, wasn't to be seen. Instead, it was missing P4 and growing P3, having already replaced P1-2. This superficially put it behind the local 2cys which were already replacing somewhere between P6-8, but whilst they were replacing juvenile primaries (faded, brown, and pointed) with 2nd-generation feathers (blacker and round-tipped), my bird's existing primaries were all black and rounded, and the new P1-2 were 3rd-generation, blackish feathers with narrow white tips! So it was almost a year ahead of similar-aged birds alongside it, with regards to primary moult, putting it way out of range of even the most extreme intermedius.

The spread wing also revealed a full set of new, white-tipped secondaries (whereas the locals possessed large moult gaps in the secondaries, almost without exception), and a complete moulted tail. The greater coverts of the numerous 2cy graellsii present tended either to show gaps like in the secondaries, or were formed of a solid dark blackish band of brand-new, replaced feathers. The more worn greater coverts of the Baltic Gull were replaced over the winter along with the primaries, and so had seen more action.
So if so much of the plumage is so far advanced, why isn't it a 3cy graellsii or intermedius? The dark iris and dull bare parts suggest a 2cy, and the fact that the 2nd-generation primaries don't look too worn helps rule out the possibility too (the feathers would be a year old in a 3cy, rather than perhaps four to six months old in a 2cy fuscus).

It had been a year and a week since I was lucky enough to find a 2cy Baltic Gull in Lincolnshire, and some of the similarities were striking, as can be seen in the above pic, the Lincs bird on the left (also note the difference in appearance of the exposed primaries between the two birds of the same age in the righthand image). The Lincs bird was slightly behind this one in primary moult, but had dropped P1-2 by 23rd July.

Very similar bird by Hannu Koskinen in Finland in early July 2007
http://www.elisanet.fi/hj.koskinen/2cyfTASS20070706.html

Whilst this bird could be considered almost too advanced, even for fuscus, at least three out of a sample of 50 birds examined by Visa Rauste in Finland had replaced P1-2 by the first week of August.
Oh, and as I tried to relocate it after a big flush of the flock, I came across the juv mich I'd been hoping for! (under the Baltic in the flight shot above).

The word from the experts was generally inconclusive, as the quality of the images (all taken on my iPhone) didn't allow the primaries to be aged with 100% confidence. But nobody said no...

Candles, 29th August 2013

After a day at work, an opportunity arose to have another quick look at the gulls, daughter number two in tow. A cloud of birds erupted from the tip as we approached and all landed in the field. A couple of adult michs stood out as well as a very dark-backed LBB. It wasn't only blackish, it had brown tones too, which is a feature of fuscus, and as it preened it revealed an almost full set of primaries, only P1/2 were missing. Again, such late moult would be unusual for intermedius, but as it was not a particularly small bird or very elongated, it just can't be proved one way or the other.

As I watched the field, a very white-bellied juv gull flew off towards the tip, and it was enough to tempt me after it. Minutes after parking up, there it was on the tip itself - a spanking juv Caspian Gull! Its pallid tones and smaller size proved it to be a new bird, and when it flew, the underwing was almost pure white! Bonkers.

A little while later it appeared on the slope briefly and was noticeably whiter below than the previous bird, with a neater greater covert bar and warmer toned mantle.

A handful of michs were about as well, mainly juvs today, including a large dark bird with one or two new scaps and an already paler-based bill. A couple of the juvs were familiar faces, but I suspect there have been at least 8 or 9 individuals over the last week or two.

The final piece of interest came just before I had to leave, when some disturbance from workers caused all the loafing juvs to gather on the slope, making a superb comparison situation. At least 5 juv michs were amongst the throng, and a tiny juv LBB with a white throat and belly, very small grey head and very black and white mantle. It certainly felt rare...

Baltic update

As the initial excitement died down, photos were circulated to a variety of knowing souls, and it started to become clear that the simple idea of identifying a 2cy fuscus solely on advanced primary moult as suggested in the Jonsson paper might not always hold true. Bird 1 still seems to fit the bill, being at the ideal state of primary moult, all primaries replaced during last winter and now P1-2 dropped again, and importantly also showing blackish 3rd-gen scaps and coverts, and a very white head and body. The full "suite of characters" that has started to appear to be crucial.

Bird 1 - compare wings and body to the bird to the left

Birds 2 and 3 fit the bill in terms of moult, but at opposite ends of the scale. On closer inspection of videograbs, bird 2 had in fact replaced P1-8 but P9 was missing and P10 juvenile. This is a little too advanced for the other forms, but the ideal fuscus candidate shouldn't show any active moult, and so it stumbles at this hurdle. Add to that the rather-too-pale grey scaps and coverts, and messy head, and it starts to unravel a little. Bird 3 on the other hand had a fully moulted set of primaries, and had even replaced P1-2 with 3rd-gen primaries, making it way out of the range of the other forms. Surely a Baltic then? Again, the grey tones were paler than you'd like, and whilst this might be permissible in Finland, it falls short of that suite of characters needed for a provable British record.

So what are they if they're not Baltic Gulls? That's the bit that was missing from the various experts replies: they were happy to tell me they weren't fuscus, but glossed over the alternatives. Research and discussion followed, and the most likely(?) explanation is the rapidly increasing pool of hybrids that is forming on the Norwegian coast where graellsii and intermedius are moving into the gaps left as fuscus declines. Fuscoides?!

Still, one out of three ain't bad...

Elsham, 30th-31st July 2013

fuscus number 2

With a bit more time on my hands this week, I was able to spend a few hours at the gull field on 30th, with high hopes of getting some better views and photos of last week's fuscus. Gull numbers were lower than last time, but only 40 minutes in, a distinctive set of jet black primaries caught my eye, although the rest of the bird was less familiar. It was small, and a bit messier around the head and breast, whilst the mantle was plainer and the coverts at a very similar state of moult. Closer examination revealed a pale, pointed juvenile P10, but when it flew there didn't seem to be any active primary moult, and the tail looked very fresh, complete with narrow white fringe - another 2cy Baltic Gull!
Having only been on view for 10 minutes, I was keen to see it again, so after a bit of dusk and dawn work, I was back at the field for 7am with good numbers of gulls on the go. Good light and good views meant the totals soon mounted up - at least 13 michs including the same 2 juvs as last week, a handful of Meds including a couple of ringed birds, and then after a couple of hours the Baltic made an appearance, distant again.The distinctive flat, sloping crown and weak bill gave it an odd expression, and in the flat light, a few blacker (3rd-gen?) lower scaps and median coverts stood out. Nice bird.
Whilst watching the Baltic, I suddenly became aware of a distinctive set of scaps and a gleaming white head, and a belting 2cy Caspian Gull stuck its head up for a few seconds. I grabbed a couple of shots, and it was gone, not to be seen again.

2cy cach - never saw more on it than this

Around 11.45 the Baltic Gull made another appearance, slightly closer this time, then disappeared again, and whilst trying to relocate it I picked out the familiar flat crown and bicoloured bill. But then it walked out into the open revealing a few brown marks amongst the otherwise plain mantle, a cleaner white head and a yellowish cast to the bill base. Primaries looked black though, and when it flew closer, the wing could be seen to be entirely 2nd-generation, no juv P10! It landed relatively close, for once, and was seen to be a larger bird with feintly yellow-tinged legs too. The 2nd-gen scaps were a paler grey than might be expected, but a couple of new median coverts and a distinctive new greater covert were much blacker... 2cy Baltic number 3!

fuscus number 3!

It all begs the question - what is going on?! Three excellent candidates in the same field in the space of a week, during which time another turned up not too far away in Lincoln, and a couple of less provable birds in Norfolk too. And under similar climatic conditions as a similar arrival in July 2006...
Coincidentally, the following day (when neither of this week's birds could be found), a large flock of small gulls in a harvested pea field up the road had attracted a handful of LBBs, and this tiny, blackish bird caught the eye. Can't do anything with it, but with such a supporting cast, makes you wonder...

unprovable coincidence...

Elsham, 23rd-24th July 2013

baltische meeuw

Jackpot! In a remarkable re-run of last April, I drove up the A15 early morning on 23rd July and was astounded to see thousands of gulls in the very same field at Elsham, along with the familiar white tanker and green tractor. And finally there was a break in the sunshine and heat-haze, and my disappointment at seeing the Bonby field ploughed in front of my eyes disappeared. I got into position, and amongst the hordes, and the liberal sprinkle of michs (including a couple of smart juvs), a set of fresh black primaries protruding from a 2cy gull caught my eye. It looked up to show a gleaming white head and body, a buff-frosted mantle, fresh-looking tertials, and a worn wing with a few plain, blacker coverts mixed in. The greater coverts were all still one generation, and a flush of the flock caused it to show me a new tail, new secondaries, and complete 2nd-generation primaries with P1-2 missing to make way for 3rd-generation feathers - Baltic Gull!

The usual doubts, emails and internet research followed, and it became apparent I had to be 100% certain the primaries were all new. Day two, misty and murky, but it appeared, closer this time, and every feather tip was visible, all black and rounded and new. Job done. And with a supporting cast of 3cy Caspian Gull, 14 michs and a handful of Meds including a slinky juv.

supporting cach

Best field ever.