Yellow-legged Gulls are still ever present amongst the loafing LWHG, though in varying numbers and ages. I've not managed more than 6 birds together this week, which was the number seen yesterday, 18th. An adult, a dark-eyed 3rd summer, which I initially thought was an unusual dark-eyed adult until it opened its wings to reveal some dark feathering in the primary coverts - still, dark-eyed 3rd summers aren't that frequent either and 4 2nd summers.
I also managed to read a couple of colour-rings on the gulls - well almost 2! The first was a 2cy LBBG that had a white ring on its right leg and black code G+N. This bird was ringed on 1st July 2011 in Cardiff - a female - and this is the first sighting since then. The second was a juvenile BHG - I just glimpsed the ring and the first letter of the 4 digit code, an R, before it waded into the water and then flew off. The metal BTO type ring on its right leg was also placed above the knee, which tends to be the European style. Anyway, this partially read code was enough to trace it to a bird ringed as a chick on 5th June 2012 at the colony at Oye Plage, Pas de Calais. Hopefully it will return to be properly read.
A juvenile Herring Gull on the 18th was my first of the year and a male Pochard was still present. At least 4 juvenile Common Terns are now flying, with several more to come.
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