Meanwhile, back at The Rec

4th June 2014 - Topsham

 

The Ross's Gull is spending plenty of time at Bowling Green Marsh but it's proving difficult to get the bird on my Recreation Ground patch list. While waiting at the BGM hide for the Ross's to arrive I got a call from Martin Elcoate who was watching the bird on the large gull spit at the Rec - actually from his back garden but I'm trying not to be jealous. So myself and Martin Elliott - stopping off on his journey back to Penzance to see the gull - legged it through Topsham as the Ross's Gull promptly left the Rec and flew down to BGM. So, no patch tick and Martin missed his train.

I decided to go back to checking the Rec more regularly and dropped back in for low tide later that afternoon. No Ross's predictably but I did find this familiar face.

Larus hybrid? 4/6/2014 Topsham Rec

Anyone paying attention (?) will immediately recognise a similarity with my possible Yellow-legged Gull of 25th May and it certainly ticks a few boxes: mid-grey mantle shade, yellow legs and even a red orbital and gape and the red on the bill bleeding onto the upper mandible - next photo.

Larus hybrid? 4/6/2014 Topsham Rec

You can probably guess there's going to be a catch; as you can see, this time the bird flew and I got a good look at the spread primaries.

Larus hybrid? 4/6/2014 Topsham Rec

Larus hybrid? 4/6/2014 Topsham Rec

Right P9 and 10 both broken as on the bird of the 25th May so presumably the same individual. The black band on P5 is not quite complete and there's rather too much black - reaching or almost reaching the primary coverts - on P9 and 10. This and the fairly unimpressive bill all count against it being a pure michahellis, in combination I think it more likely a hybrid - though not necessarily 1st generation - Herring x LBB.

Meanwhile my Ross's Gull stakeout at the Rec continues...