Review of 2019 and 2020 - Birds: Gulls and Terns

GULLS and TERNS (family LARIDAE)


Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla - No records worth mentioning.

Kittiwakes, Minsmere, 11th May 2019

Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus - 120 at Ryburgh in October 2019 was my only record but the species is common over here and at the meadows.


Little Gull Hydrocoloeus minutus - 35 past Sheringham on 21st October 2019 and 2 at the staithe at Burnham Overy on 12th June 2020.

Little Gull, Burnham Overy, 12th June 2020

Audouin's Gull Ichthyaetus audouinii - 2 at Platje de les filipines and 3 at Llobregat Delta in Spain on 21st/22nd February 2020.

Audouin's Gull, Platje de les filipines (Spain), 21st February 2020

Mediterranean Gull Ichthyaetus audouinii - I added this species to both my garden list and the meadows list in spring 2020 with one heard flying over the meadows on 19th April, 2 flying over on 27th April and then 2 over the house on 8th May.  Elsewhere up to 20-30 at several coastal locations during the two years and 80 at Hayle on 10th October 2020.

Mediterranean Gull, Titchwell, 21st July 2019

Common Gull Larus canus - No records worth mentioning.


Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus - No records worth mentioning.


Herring Gull Larus argentatus - A concentration of gulls in and around early-mid April 2019 included at least 80 Herring Gulls.  Sadly I wasn't able to find any Yellow-legged Gulls or anything better among these.

Herring Gull, Blakeney, 18th March 2019

Lesser Black-backed and Herring Gulls, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 14th April 2019

Herring Gull x Caspian Gull Larus argentatus x Larus cachinnas - One at West Runton on 18th March 2019, yellow-ringed bird X053.

Herring Gull x Caspian Gull hybrid, West Runton, 18th March 2019

Herring Gull x Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus argentatus x Larus fuscus - My attempts to see the Ring-billed Gull x Lesser Black-backed Gull hybrid at Blakeney in March 2019 all failed, and I had to make do with the regularly returning Herring Gull x Lesser Black-backed Gull hybrid (which was paired to a Herring Gull)

Herring Gull x Lesser Black-backed Gull hybrid (with Herring Gull attempting to copulate with it), Blakeney, 18th March 2019

Herring Gull x Lesser Black-backed Gull hybrid, Blakeney, 20th March 2019

Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis - One at Buxton on 9th September 2020 but apart from this only seen in Spain.

Yellow-legged Gull, Llobregat Delta (Spain), 22nd February 2020

Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus - Regular at the meadows including 30 on 27th May 2020.

Lesser Black-backed Gull, Blakeney, 18th March 2019

Lesser Black-backed Gull, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May 2020

Sandwich Tern Thalasseus sandvicensis - No records worth mentioning.


Common Tern Sterna hirundo - Often seen along the river from the meadows and one heard over the house on August 2019.


Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea - One between Staffa and Iona in June 2019 and singles past Pendeen (Cornwall) on 6th and 8th October 2020.


Black Tern Chlidonias niger - One at Sparham Pools on 19th April 2019 was a nice surprise - the first one I've found in the valley for a while.  Also one at Titchwell on 21st July 2019.

Black Tern, Titchwell, 21st July 2019

Next page: Skuas, Auks, Divers, Tubenoses, Storks, Gannets, Cormorants, Spoonbills and Herons

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Red-necked Grebe and Iceland Gull

Yesterday I popped in to Brancaster Staithe during my lunch break and collected this Red-necked Grebe.

Red-necked Grebe, Brancaster Staithe, 11th December

This morning I headed out to King's Lynn to see the Iceland Gull before the rain got too heavy.  No sign when I got there, but looking back from the layby north of the fleet I could see it on the edge of the quay (or whatever it is).  A fair way off though, and no good for photos, so I returned to Fishers' Fleet to wait for it to come in there.  Eventually, and after the rain was well settled in, it did come down and provide some great views.

Iceland Gull, King's Lynn, 12th December

I tried my hardest to pick out something from among the Herring Gulls, but didn't succeed.  The variation in first-winters was striking though - are both these birds first-winters, and if so is it just normal variation or are they from different places?

Herring Gulls, King's Lynn, 12th December

This one showed very little black in the primaries though I didn't manage to persuade it to fly while I was watching it, so didn't get to see the spread wing.  Presumably some missing primaries contributing to its odd appearance, rather than simply being an argentatus without much black?

Herring Gull, King's Lynn, 12th December

Not many of these:

Lesser Black-backed Gull, King's Lynn, 12th December

I've seen a mouse in my garden on numerous occasions, often going in or out of the shed (where it eats my bird food) but have never managed to have a sufficiently prolonged look at it to be able to identify it.  This afternoon I kept seeing it dart out of the shed and back in, with perhaps a couple of minutes between each dash.  Far too quick to see anything on it, but perhaps I could catch it on the camera?  Even with the ISO cranked up to the highest possible setting I could barely get enough speed to catch it mid-dash, but eventually it paused for long enough on its way out of the shed for me to get some grainy shots.  Let me know if you think differently, but I reckon it's a Wood Mouse.

Wood Mouse, North Elmham, 12th December