BH Gull EY19562

During a quick walk around Bakewell this afternoon, I spotted Black-headed Gull EY19562 back on the River Wye for its 4th winter. My first sighting was at this spot, on 4th November 2018, but it had been ringed (as a first-year bird) at Westport Lake, Staffordshire on 10th December 2014, so it is possible that it's been present since then. 

EY19562

Click on the label below to see the other sightings of this bird.

Derbyshire Gulls - 26th October 2020

 I had a little "Gull Tour" yesterday, visiting two of my favourite places in search of over-wintering Black-headed Gulls. Both sites delivered!

The first site, Alvaston Park in Derby, had about 150 Black-headed Gulls (and 1 Common Gull), including 2 well known birds. The first one I saw was a Polish-ringed bird, TLPN, first seen last year (see here for details of ringing), back for its second winter.

TLPN

The second bird at Alvaston was also a returning bird, Danish-ringed VA4073, first seen in November 2018 (see here for ringing details).

VA4073

In the afternoon I drove across to Bakewell, and spotted 2 more ringed Black-headed Gulls. The first one seen here was a new bird, 2T51. This bird, an adult, had been ringed in Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria, on 19th September 2020, and my sighting was the first recorded.

2T51

The last bird see was metal-ringed EY19562, another returning bird, first seen here in November 2018 (see here). It was ringed, as a chick, at Westport Lake, Staffordshire, on 10th December 2014, so is now 6 years old.

EY19562

Look who's back!

I was in Bakewell this afternoon, checking the gulls, when I spotted a familiar bird  - EY19562 (see here).

EY19562

This adult Black-headed Gull was first spotted here in November 2018, and then recorded another 3 times last winter. It had originally been ringed 40km away at Westport Lakes, Staffordshire, as a first year bird, on 10th December  2014, making it 5 years old. Hopefully, it'll hang around the area for another winter.

Black-headed Gull EY19562

Back in November 2018 I saw a metal ringed Black-headed Gull on the River Wye, Bakewell. I managed to get its ring number (EY19562), and found out that it had been ringed, as a first year bird, at Westport Lake, Staffordshire, on 10th December 2014, 40km away.

EY19562 - 4th November 2018

Since then, it has been re sighted in the same spot another 3 times; on 10th January 2019, 17th January 2019 (both by my nephew, Luke), and today, by me again. As far as I am aware, it hasn't been seen anywhere else since ringing.

EY19562 - today