Rufford Visit - 2nd September 2025

 Yesterday, I had my first visit to Rufford for a couple of weeks. It was bright sunshine (with a few rain showers) and 20 degrees, and there were about 70 Black-headed Gulls (c.40 juveniles). 7 darviced gulls were seen, and a new, metal-ringed bird was also spotted.

The darviced birds were: 258A (2nd sighting this autumn/winter), 207C (4th sighting since July), 258C (fourth sighting this autumn/winter), 221F (last seen in February 2025), 234F (second sighting this autumn/winter), 255F (first sighting since January 2025) and 2V03 (2nd sighting this autumn/winter).

221F

255F

The metal-ringed bird (EM21570) was a 3, i.e. born this year. It had been ringed, as a pullus, on 10th June, 158km away, at Marlingford Hall, Norfolk. This is, unsurprisingly, the first sighting since ringing. Hopefully, it'll hang around for the winter.

EM21570

In addition to the gulls, I also recorded 7 Mute Swans, including the 2 unringed birds seen last visit, along with 2 more adults (Broken Beak and his partner) and their 3 new cygnets, 2 Kingfishers, 1 House Martin, dozens of Canada and Greylag Geese, 1 Grey Wagtail, Mallards and an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Broken Beak and family

Lesser Black-backed Gull

In addition to those sightings, I also saw a familiar Black-headed Gull in Bakewell on Monday. It was quite a brief sighting, but enough to get the metal ring EW97345. This is a bird I first saw, in Bakewell, back in September 2018. The bird had been ringed, as an adult (at least 2 years old), in Boston, Lincolnshire on 9th January 2010. Monday's sighting was my first since July 2021.

EW97345

Rufford Gulls - 29th July 2025

 I spent two hours at Rufford yesterday afternoon. There were about 65 Black-headed Gulls present, including 17 juveniles, and 4 darvic-ringed birds.

The darviced birds were 258A (first ringed in February 2020 and reported 42 times, mainly in Rufford. Today's sighting was the first since March 2025), 207C, 258C (both first seen back on 15th July) and 234F (ringed on 9th November 2024, as a 1st winter bird, seen 8 times last winter and last seen in February 2025).

258A

207C

258C

234F

Rufford - 2nd March 2025

 My latest visit to Rufford was on 2nd March, when I had an hour, and spotted 14 Black-headed Gulls, including new birds; 2V03 (ringed on 18th January, as a 5, born last year), 218F (ringed by me, as a 1st winter bird, on 12th October 2024) and J3018 ( a new Norwegian-ringed bird, that was ringed, as a free-flying juvenile, in Oslo, on 5th August 2024).

2V03

218F

J3018

Other gulls seen were: 206A, 258A, 273A, 293A, 251B, 254B, 207C, 258C, 270C, 298C and 230F.

Rufford Update - 15th February 2025

 I've just had a look at the blog, and realised that I haven't posted this month yet!! During this time, I've had a couple of visits to Rufford (both cold and rainy!), adding a few new Black-headed Gulls to the list.

The first visit, on 8th February, saw the following birds reported: 273A, 295A, 202C, 207C, 258C, 264C, 273C, 298C, 221F, 234F and 2V16 (my first sighting, about 2 hours after ringing!)

2V16

On yesterday's visit, 15th February, I saw: 258A, 273A, 293A, 295A, 280B, 202C, 207C, 255C (the first ever sighting, since being ringed, as a 1st year bird, in November 2023!), 264C, 207F, 221F, 234F, 292F and Lithuanian-ringed bird, P519 (first sighting since 4th January).

255C

292F

P519

Rufford Again - 23rd December 2024

 I was back at Rufford yesterday. Unfortunately, Black-headed Gull numbers were slightly down on my last visit (c150), but I still spotted 13 ringed birds, and, what is potentially a new species for this site, a Caspian Gull. 10 Goosander (6 males and 4 females) were also seen, as were a pair of Gadwall and 4 Teal.

Black-headed Gulls seen were: 258A, 273A, 293A, 295A, 280B, 202C, 207C, 258C, 264C, 298C, 223F, 234F and 261F.

The Caspian Gull landed briefly on the lake, and I managed 4 photos before it flew off.

Rufford Gulls - 6th October 2024

 On the way back from Norfolk on Sunday, we popped into Rufford for a short, 1 hour visit. There were a lot more birds present, up from c.40 to c.170, and included 6 or our darvic ringed birds.

The birds seen were: 206A, 258A, 293A, 295A, 207C and 258C. All, except 295A, had been reported already this autumn. 295A was last seen back in February (see here).

295A

258A and 258C

Soggy Rufford!!

 I didn't go to Rufford last weekend, because of the heavy rain, so I really wanted to get back across today. I went, and ironically, it was pouring with rain!! There were only 40 Black-headed Gulls today (presumably the others were still out on the fields enjoying the rain!), but I did manage to see 5 darviced birds.

The darviced birds were: 206A, 258A, 297A, 207C and 245C. The first birds are regulars, but for 245C, it was the first sighting since 4th February 2024, and only my 5th re-sighting since it was ringed in October 2023. See here for a picture of the same bird, back in December 2023.

245C

206A and 245C

Broken Beak (a male Mute Swan) was still present today, along with his mate and 3 cygnets, as were 25 Canada Geese, 1 Greylag Goose, 1 Grey Wagtail, c20 Mallards and a singing Chiffchaff.

Broken Beak and family

Rufford Gulls - 3rd September 2024

 Last Tuesday was the last day of the summer holidays, so I popped to Rufford to get my first September visit to the Black-headed Gulls. I recorded 7 of "our" gulls and a new Lithuanian-ringed bird, a juvenile.

Our gulls were: 258A (my 35th sighting), 293A (my 31st sighting), 297A (my 11th sighting), 283B (my 4th sighting),  205C (my 2nd sighting), 207C (my 18th sighting) and 258C (my 11th sighting).

The Lithuanian-ringed gull, a juvenile with the metal ring HA60.507, was hanging around with the other gulls. I sent off the record, but, unfortunately, it hasn't been registered with the Lithuanian Ringing Scheme yet, so I'll have to wait a bit longer to find out where and when it was ringed! Until then, here is a photo.

HA60.507

Other birds seen were: 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull (1st summer/2nd year?), c30 Canada Geese, 4 Greylag Geese, Mallard, Tufted Duck, a Kingfisher (my first record here) and a very interesting-looking hybrid goose.

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Hybrid goose

UPDATE: The Lithuanian gull was ringed, as a pullus, 1,766km away (in Lithuania!) on 13th June 2024, 82 days before being spotted at Rufford.

Rufford - 2 new gulls and 3 cygnets!

 Tuesday's visit to Rufford was a great one, with sightings of 9 darviced Black-headed Gulls, including 2 new birds. In addition, the (in)famous Mute Swan, Broken Beak, appeared with his mate and 3 new cygnets.

The new gulls, 211B and a Norwegian-ringed bird, J2586, were both seen feeding with another c100 Black-headed Gulls. 211B was ringed in January 2022, as an adult bird. Until Tuesday, it had only been seen once, at Center Parcs, on 7th August 2024. Presumably, it over-wintered here last year, but evaded our eyes, and there haven't yet been any records of it, in its breeding site.

211B

The Norwegian bird, J2586, was the second new bird. It had been ringed 1004km away, in June 2023, as a chick/pullus. My sighting was the first since ringing. Hopefully, it'll hang around for the winter.

J2586

Other birds seen were: 206A, 258A, 273A, 293A, 283B, 207C and 258C (click on their labels for more information).

As well as the gulls, there were also 10 Canada Geese, 10 Greylag Geese and a family party of Mute Swans, 2 adults and 3 cygnets. The swans, both unringed, were Broken Beak and a female bird.

Broken Beak and family

Juvenile Mediterranean Gull at Rufford!

 Last Friday (9th), I drove across to Rufford to see how many Black-headed Gulls had arrived back from their breeding grounds for the winter. I was very pleasantly surprised to find c150 birds, including 20/30 juveniles, and, best of all a juvenile Mediterranean Gull!!!! This is my first ever Med Gull, at Rufford, so I was very, very happy to pick it up, amongst the other gulls.

Mediterranean Gull

In amongst the other Black-headed Gulls, I was able to locate 8 of "our" ringed gulls: 206A, 258A, 273A, 293A, 297A, 283B, 207C and 258C. A great start to the new season!

Rufford Gulls - 9th March 2024

 At this time of the year, I'm never sure when I'll see the last of the wintering Black-headed Gulls at Rufford. Last Saturday I popped across and found about 80 still present, including many looking very smart, with their breeding plumage brown (not black!) hoods.

The first bird I saw, was 215C, and this bird was certainly looking smart. Last year, my last sighting of this bird was on 12th March, so this may be my last sighting until after the breeding season. We've not had any sightings at a breeding site yet. This year perhaps?

215C

Other ringed gulls were: 258A (34th re-sighting), 289A (6th re-sighting, and my first since February 2022!), 202C (13th re-sighting), 207C (15th re-sighting), 258C (8th re-sighting), 270C (4th re-sighting), 273C (6th re-sighting) and 298C (ringed on 4th February 2024, as a 5, i.e. born in 2023, and the first re-sighting since).

298C

Other birds seen were: 21 Goosander (16 female and 5 male), 1 male Pochard, 2 Mute Swan (Broken Beak and a female), 13 Greylag Geese, 5 Canada Geese, 37 Lesser Black-backed Gull and 2 Common Gull.

Rufford Gulls - 25th February 2024

It's getting towards the end of the winter season now, and the Black-headed Gulls that over winter here will soon be setting off back to their breeding grounds. With this in mind, I had a visit to Rufford to see if I could record some rings, before they leave.

I was there for just over an hour, and, although there were only about 70 gulls left, I managed to record 9 green-ringed birds: 258A (31st sighting), 295A (15th sighting), 251B (ringed by me in October 2022, my 3rd sighting, and my first since November 2023), 254B (also ringed by me, in October 2022, and my 6th sighting), 215C (9th sighting), 258C (7th sighting), 267C (1st re-sighting since being ringed on 31st December 2023), 270C (3rd sighting) and 273C (5th re-sighting).  

267C

Whilst there, I also recorded 1 Common Gull, 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 17 Canada Geese, 4 Greylag Geese and 33 Goosander (26 females and 7 males).

Another green-ringed Gull, 231C, that was ringed at Center Parcs in January 2023, was reported in Hull on 25th February 2024. It had previously been recorded in The Netherlands in March 2023 (presumably back on breeding grounds). It had also been seen in Otley and Leeds in winter 2023.

Nottinghamshire Day Trip - 18th February 2024

 Yesterday, I had a little drive around a few sites in Nottinghamshire, adding 5 species to the Year List.

I started off, in the rain (!) at Rufford, searching for Hawfinch. Unfortunately, after two hours, I came away empty handed. I did, however, manage to add Jay (119) and Stock Dove (120).

Next up, was Budby South Forest, where I managed to spot Stonechats (121) and singing Woodlarks (122).

From here, I drove on to Clumber Park, spotting the long-staying, feral Red-breasted Goose (in the background of the photo) along with Mute Swan, Y358 (ringed 13km away, in 2019, as an adult. This was my 6th sighting at Clumber), and a green-ringed Black-headed Gull, 263C. This was the first sighting of this bird since it was ringed, at Center Parcs, on 16th December 2023.

Y358

263C

The next stop, was a return visit to Rufford, where there were just 70 Black-headed Gulls, along with 10 Goosander (8 females and 2 males) and lots of geese!! Ringed gulls were: 258A (my 30th sighting since February 2020!), 207C (14th sighting since December 2022), 258C (6th sighting since December 2023), 270C (2nd sighting, since December 2023) and 273C (4th sighting since 6th January 2024). 

The final stop of the day, was Carburton Lake, where I managed to spot a very distant adult Caspian Gull (123). A single Red-legged Partridge (124) was seen on the drive back home.

Rufford Gulls - 4th February 2024

 Last Sunday, I was across at Rufford for a couple of hours, in 12 degree heat! There were still good numbers of gulls around, including c.250 Black-headed Gulls, 17 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 20 Common Gulls.

As always, the gulls were hungry, which allowed me to read 15 green rings (206A, 258A, 259A, 295A, 254B, 202C, 207C, 245C, 258C, 264C, 270C, 273C, 288C, 290C and 200F), and the Lithuanian-ringed bird, P519.

Most of these gulls are regulars, but there were a few more noteworthy ones. 206A, for example, was ringed in December 2018, as an adult. Last week's sighting was my first since March 2023. 

206A

Likewise, 254B was one of the first gulls I ringed, as an adult, in October 2022, and this is just my fifth re-sighting since. Four other gulls were seen for their first time since ringing:270C, 288C, 290C and 200F. 

270C

288C

290C

200F

Other birds seen included 21 Goosander (13 females and 8 males), 19 Canada Geese, 6 Greylag Geese and 2 Mute Swans (Broken Beak and an unringed female).

Rufford Gulls - 20th January 2024

 Last weekend (20th), I went across to Rufford for a couple of hours. In total, I recorded 16 green-ringed Black-headed Gulls, and metal-ringed EL87245. 

Birds seen were: 246A, 258A, 273A, 293A, 295A, 297A, 254B, 272B, 280B, 202C, 207C, 245C, 258C, 264C, 273C and 275C.

273A and 280B

275C

Rufford - 8th January 2024

 I had my first visit of 2024 to Rufford on Sunday. There weren't a lot of Black-headed Gulls around (c.150), but I did see 13 of "our" green-ringed birds along with the Lithuanian-ringed bird, P519 and the British metal-ringed bird, EL87245.

Birds seen were: 258A, 273A, 295A, 254B (ringed by me on 22nd October 2022 and my first sighting since October 2023), 272B, 280B (ringed by me on 19th November 2022, and my 4th sighting this winter), 202C, 207C, 215C, 258C, 264C, 268C (ringed by me, as a 3, born in 2023, on 31st December 2023, as an adult, age 4) and 273C (ringed on 6th January 2024).

268C and 273C were the first sightings since being ringed.

268C

273C

As well as the gulls, I also spotted a very impressive 43 Goosander (27 female and 16 males).

Rufford - 17th December 2023

 My latest visit to Rufford, was my best of the winter so far, with 12 of "our" green-ringed birds seen, along with Lithuanian-ringed P519 (ringed in April 2010, as an adult) and a well known EL87245 (ringed at Center Parcs in January 2013.

Most of the ringed birds had been seen before, but three; 245C ( aged 3, born this year), 262C (also born in 2023) and 264C (an adult bird), were my first sightings since being ringed, at Center Parcs, earlier this winter.

245C

262C

264C

In addition, 215C (ringed, as an adult in January 2023), was my first sighting since March 12th 2023. Welcome back for another winter.

215C

Other birds seen included: c.70(!!) Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 6 Common Gulls, c.300 Black-headed Gulls, 1 Herring Gull, 13 Goosander (7 females and 6 males), 1 Cormorant, 35 Canada Geese, 2 Greylag Geese and 2 Mute Swans (Broken Beak and a female).