Colour-ringed Black-headed Gull Update

A few weeks ago, I blogged about a colour-ringed Black-headed Gull at Linacre, my first ever!(see here). I was pretty sure the number was TC30, so I sent the record off to see where it had come from. Since the sighting I kept everything crossed that the bird was a foreign-ringed one, and today I got confirmation that it was Polish ringed bird.

 TC30 is an adult bird, that was ringed on 21st May 2009 in Poland on its nesting grounds. At the time it was aged as at least 2 years old, which means it is now at least 4 years old. Since ringing, it has flown a minimum of 1362km from the ringing site, but the chances are it's flown to Britain and back to Poland every year since it was born. My sighting was the second since it was ringed. The first was at Orgreave Lagoons in South Yorkshire, on 29th August this year. I sent my record to the Polish Ringing Centre (see link here).

Now I just need to see it again and get a photo!! Wish me luck.