Clumber and Rufford - 24th February 2022

On Thursday, in between the wind and snow showers (!), I had a walk around Clumber and Rufford looking for Black-headed Gulls.

Clumber had approximately 400 gulls, but, unfortunately, only about 50 or so were interested in my food offerings. Of these bird, only one had a darvic ring, number 295A. This is one of the Center Parcs birds, and this sighting was my first away from Rufford. There were two metal-ringed birds, but I only managed to get one number, VAO171, a Danish bird, that I've seen several times before. It was originally ringed  in June 2015. 

The Mute Swans at Clumber were very friendly, and I managed to read a few rings; Y204, Y677, Y358, 929Y and W47133. Y204 was ringed in Pontefract Park in August 2019 and was first seen at Clumber in November 2020. Y677 was ringed on 14th October 2020, as a 3, a bird born in that year. Y358 had been ringed on 6th September 2019, just 13km away, and had been seen at Clumber since August 2021. 929Y was ringed in August 2018, and had been seen at Clumber in August 2021. W47133 had also been ringed in August 2018, as a 5, born in 2017. I recorded this bird at Clumber in August 2021.

When I arrived at Rufford, one of the first gulls I saw was.... 295A!! Other ringed birds seen were: 258A, 293A, 294A, 295A, 297A, JO116 and V77K.

Rufford and Clumber - 27th November 2021

 I had a couple of hours at Rufford and Clumber this afternoon. It was cold (3 degrees and very windy) with a few snow flurries. Despite this, there were only about 100 Black-headed Gulls at Rufford and a similar number at Clumber.

Ringed birds seen at Rufford were 217A and 258A, both familiar birds. There were also a couple of Common Gulls present.

217A

258A

Clumber was also very cold and windy, and I only managed to find 1 metal-ringed Black-headed Gull, a Danish ringed individual, VAO171. I first saw this bird here in November 2018 and again in December 2020. It had originally been ringed, 872km away, on the Danish island of Hirsholm on 12th June 2015.

VAO171

Also present today, was Mute Swan Y358. Again, a familiar bird, ringed on  6th September 2019, and first seen by me at Clumber on 31st August 2021.

Y358

Also present were 1 adult Lesser Black-backed Gull and an immature/1st winter Common Gull.

Common Gull

Rufford and Clumber - 21st December 2020

 On Monday I had a few hours at Rufford and Clumber Park, looking for ringed Black-headed Gulls. In total, I saw 5 known birds and 2 new ones. I also saw a new Canada Goose.

At Rufford, the gulls seen were 217A, 237A, 255A, EUM3 and V77K. 225A, the first new bird, had been ringed at Center Parcs on 25th January 2020. It was seen there again on 26th November 2020, but Monday's sighting was my first and the first record for Rufford.

255A, Rufford CP

The new Canada Goose was ring number 5215987. It had been ringed on 1st January 2003, making it at least 18 years old (born in 2002), but I'll update when I get the age and place of ringing back.

When I arrived at Clumber Park there were about 100 Black-headed Gulls out on the grassed area by the Chapel. Unfortunately, there weren't any darvic rings to be seen, but I did spot a new British-ringed bird, EY30536, which had been ringed 4th March 2013 (location yet to be confirmed), and a Danish-ringed bird, VAO171, which I first saw here on 18th November 2018. It had been ringed 911km away on Hirsholm, on 26th May 2015. 

EY30536

VAO171

The darvic-ringed Mute Swan, Y204, that Jayne and I saw back in November, was also present.