Regular readers of this blog (!) may well remember a Black-headed Gull, EUM3, that was one of the first darviced birds I saw at Rufford CP, way back in November 2018. I saw this bird regularly up until January 2023, after which the bird disappeared, presumed dead.
Today, I was at Holmebrook Valley Country Park, in Chesterfield, when I spotted a white darvic-ringed Black-headed Gull, roosting on the ice. I managed to get a few photos, and saw that the ring was EUJ6. Checking the European Colour-ringing Website, I saw that this bird had been ringed in exactly the same spot as EUM3 (Zoetermeer in The Netherlands), on exactly the same date, 27th May 2017, also as a pullus, by the same ringer, Benny Middendorf!! I don't know what the chances of this happening are, but, I'm pretty sure they are very low.
Just as exciting, is that my sighting is the only the second since ringing. The only other sighting was on Shibdon Pond LNR, in Gateshead, on 7th September 2021.
Whilst there, I also spotted a metal-ringed Black-headed Gull, HA51792, which is a Lithuanian-ringed bird I saw there in November 2024. Unfortunately, I don't yet have the ringing details back.
