Candles and Priorslee, 28th March 2013

After a week all but devoid of large gulls out east, a few Meds providing the only interest, returned to Shropshire to find several hundred Black-heads on Priorslee Lake along with... a 1w Med! Still no large though, so moved to Candles where c200 large gulls were standing in the snow across the road, and amongst them was last week's dinky 2cy Iceland Gull. Another c300 gulls were feeding on the tip, one of the long-staying 3cy michs included, and a scan through the loafers up on the top produced a big 2cy Glaucous Gull!

Lunchtime on the tip resulted in a reduction in gull numbers so tried my luck back at the lake, and on arrival the Glauc was splashing about just off the layby.

A scan through the swelling flock turned up a smart ad mich and a 4/5cy Caspian Gull, looking virtually adult except for a dark mark on the bill, some brown in the coverts and a tertial, and a single small black blob on a tail feather... so more likely a 4cy?

But arguably the highlight was an adult hybrid Ring-billed x Lesser Black-backed Gull. Almost certainly the same bird as was here in Feb 2012, but in clean-headed summer plumage now, the slightly smaller size, lighter-toned mantle and distinctive ringed bill were a perfect match. Good to see it again!

Priorslee and Candles, 18th March 2013

Once again an afternoon visit to the lake produced a few hundred large gulls, and this time the latest 2cy Iceland Gull was amongst them, looking remarkably small with a smooth whitish saddle across the upper mantle.

A dash over to the tip then followed, and whilst c1,000 gulls stood in the field (90% LBBs), a few hundred fed on the tip in the drizzle, including a big 4cy male Caspian Gull. Unfortunately it soon flew off north by itself, and I headed home, perplexed by the lack of supporting cast lately - no michs today for example.

Candles, 16th March 2013

A couple of hours under a bright but overcast Saturday sky only managed to find c300 large gulls across all the usual spots. But amongst the few feeding on the tip was the latest Telford Iceland Gull - a smooth, buffy 2cy found at Priorslee earlier in the week. Very nice, shame I forgot my camera. The 2cy mich from Leighton was there too.

Gallymoor, 12th March 2013

Another week in the east, this time in the sun, and a lunchtime visit to the field opposite Beechwood Cafe on the A614 produced a sleepy 2cy Glauc amongst a couple of hundred Herrings and GBBs. A few days later there was a sudden lack of large gulls going over Saxby Wolds in a morning.

On 14th I headed home via the Telford gull sites, but only mustered a 3cy mich at Priorslee and a 2cy on the river at Leighton.

Candles, 6th March 2013

After a day and a half waiting for the fog to clear around the Humber, I gave up and headed home via a few hours at the tip. The active tip-face creeps ever closer, and the views were superb, almost too close. There were also c1,500 large gulls loafing in the field all afternoon, but despite the numbers (maybe 2,000 in total split roughly evenly Herring/LBB, with mainly immatures of the former and adults of the latter), scarcities were hard to come by. I didn't see a white wing at all, and for a long time it was just a 2cy mich in the field to show for my efforts.

Later on I added a 3cy and adult mich on the tip, and eventually the day's highlight appeared: a 2cy Caspian Gull preening non-stop in the field. It was picked out by the gleaming white uppertail with just a neat horsehoe of black spots above the broad black tail-band, and the incredibly worn wings (that "old leather" look) and quite plain mantle identified it as another new bird, suggesting there's a real movement going on at the moment.

Priorslee and Candles, 28th Feb 2013

An early return from work under annoyingly sunny skies meant a quick look at Priorslee Lake, and I was shocked to see c500 large gulls on the water. A scan with bins located the uglier 3cy Iceland Gull, and then a closer look revealed a 2cy Caspian Gull. The particularly silvery mantle and plain brown coverts got me thinking, and on closer examination of scapular pattern it was obvious that it was a new bird - 2cy number 6 and Caspian number 12 for me!

It flew to the jetties at the far end to preen amongst the Black-heads, showing off its long neck and much white underparts than last week's bird (which it otherwise quite closely resembled). The Iceland then landed on the jetties briefly before everything flushed back onto the water.

Another scan (adding the resident drake Scaup to the list) and there were two wingers at the far end of the lake - the 3cy Iceland and the 3cy Glauc, side by side! Very nice.
Despite all this activity, like a moth to the flame I was drawn to Candles, and I arrived to find the tip-face edging ever closer to the viewpoint, and the views were superb. Unfortunately the numbers were not, and an adult and smart 2cy michs were the best I could muster.

Candles and Horsehay, 22nd Feb 2013

 "It's never as good the next day" has proved correct on many occasions, and by lunchtime it looked as if it would do so again. Admittedly the latest 3cy Iceland Gull had shown itself superbly on the pool (is it me, or is there a certain kumlieni feel to it?), but the gulls on the tip were a nightmare, never settling for a minute.

A trip to Priorslee to eat my chips proved fruitless, but one last look at the tip on the way home produced a new 3cy Glauc within minutes, and over the next 50 minutes we added last week's 3cy Iceland and the recent enormous white 2cy Glauc to the haul (the latter the same bird as called a 3cy on 3rd Jan)! Four wingers in a day, and not a sniff of a cach!