A brief visit on the way home from work coincided with lunchtime on the tip, and as a result gull numbers were pretty low. I was joined by Kris and Jim, and numbers built up as the machines got going again, and it wasn't long before a distinctive set of greater coverts and grey scaps were seen on a bird with its head in a hole. Everything looked good for a Caspian, but then it raised its head and looked a bit odd. Despite regular flushes, I kept picking it up on those striking wings, which were often held aloft in a bit of an albatross display, and the underwing and tail looked good too. On reflection, there were no hybrid features, and it was in fact 2cy Caspian number 4 this winter!
During the next hour the 2cy Iceland Gull appeared again, and a smart adult Herring x LBB was seen, but alas there was no sign of either of the 2cy Glaucs seen by Kris during the week, one of which was a very pale bird with a pinky-buff band across the median coverts, almost certainly the bird called a 3cy by Andy last weekend (I only glimpsed it as it flew off from Leighton on 3rd) and by me back in early January.
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