Mediterranean Gull time again

How different the status of Mediterranean Gull is nowadays in the UK compared with 50 years ago.  I can recall back then when a returning bird in winter at Covehithe, Suffolk drew birders from all over just to add it to their Year List.  How different things are today.

Mediterranean Gull - 2nd summer

Here in Wales birds start arriving from mid-June along the south and west coast through the summer sometimes flocking in numbers of over 50.  By August there could be a few hundred birds involved.




Mediterranean Gull - juvenile


I saw my first group of the summer today at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust reserve at Llanelli.  Amongst the Black-headed Gull colony at least 15 were roosting and most seemd to be adults with two exceptions.  I guess the earliest arrivals if adults are probably birds which failed to breed this year.

Part of the group at Llanelli WWT today

Ringing recoveries suggest most these birds are from colonies in mainland Europe from places such as Belgium and the Netherlands.  Some may of course come from breeding colonies elsewhere including perhaps the south of England.




Mediterranean Gull - adult


My only other sightings of note today at WWT were a Peregrine and a singing Lesser Whitethroat scarce in Wales and my first for the year.