Ross's Gull

29th May 2014 - Topsham

Sometimes I wish I could invoke the 'two bird theory' of my blog title but, to be honest, it's best just to admit a mistake and try to learn from it. So here's my confession, my self-criticism, my part in the affair.

Yesterday evening 28th May I was called down to the Bowling Green Marsh hide to look at a small gull. Two Little Gulls had been reported on and off for about a fortnight - I'd seen one a week or so previously and was happy with it as a 2cy Little. Someone (massive kudos to them but not sure who, can anyone tell me?) had suggested one of the 'Littles' looked like a Ross's Gull, so a number of us locals gathered to try and settle the matter(!?).

My initial views - in fact my only views that first evening - were poor, the bird was always distant, frequently hidden by vegetation or other gulls and often head on. I got a few photos but nothing very useful.

Ross's Gull 2cy - 28/5/2014 Topsham

Ross's Gull 2cy - 28/5/2014 Topsham

Ross's Gull 2cy - 28/5/2014 Topsham

It clearly wasn't the gull I'd seen previously and it did look nice and white-headed and the wings appeared long and not quite how a Little Gull should look, I thought maybe it was a Ross's after all. Then I started to have doubts, the crown showed quite a bit of dark feathering from some angles and the bill looked a little too long maybe, at times there was a suggestion of a faint necklace but it was easy to put that down to posture and displaced feathers. It once and very briefly took off and landed but the only conclusion that could be drawn from a very blurred photo (courtesy of Dave Stone) was that there appeared to be a faint dark secondary bar and what I'd thought was a wedge-shaped tail looked more likely to be due to moult or feather breakage. Given all this the general conclusion was that it was most likely a somewhat odd Little Gull.

It still bothered me that I/we hadn't conclusively ruled out Ross's as the tail had not been properly seen so first thing this morning (29th May) I went down for another look. On the way I got a couple of calls telling me the bird had been reported as a definite Ross's Gull. A little puzzled, I got into the hide and soon found the subject in exactly the same spot giving exactly the same sort of views. Soon Matt Knott arrived and as we discussed the bird it took wing and I blasted off a few shots. A quick look at the back of the camera told me I'd got what I was after - a classic black-tipped diamond-shaped tail. So we'd got it wrong but it was a Ross's Gull after all.

Ross's Gull 2cy - 29/5/2014 Topsham

Ross's Gull 2cy - 29/5/2014 Topsham

Ross's Gull 2cy - 29/5/2014 Topsham

So, no doubt about that then and I just wish we'd had views like that the night before - it might have saved a bit of embarrassment.

Shortly after it flew across the marsh to feed in a small pool. It really didn't like the Black-headed Gulls and would often chase them off, helpfully providing much better views of the upperwings with white extending well towards the outer primaries and a diagnostic black patch on the back/rump.

Ross's Gull 2cy - 29/5/2014 Topsham

Ross's Gull 2cy - 29/5/2014 Topsham

Ross's Gull 2cy - 29/5/2014 Topsham

Ross's Gull 2cy - 29/5/2014 Topsham

Ross's Gull 2cy - 29/5/2014 Topsham

Ross's Gull 2cy - 29/5/2014 Topsham

With hindsight I can now appreciate how different in shape it is to a Little Gull,  particularly the length of the wings and the shape of the head. And is that a faint hint of pink on the breast? So despite what was a bit of a cock-up on the ID front (guilty, your honour), nobody got hurt, I don't think anyone missed it because of a wrong call and it's a fantastic bird and a great find - and I can still hope it might just turn up at the Rec.