Greenland Wheatear, probably...

19th April 2014 - South Wales

A family visit to Porthcawl gave me an opportunity for a couple of early morning walks along the beach at Kenfig. With the golf course, the new (and newly storm-wrecked) plastic boardwalk and with the Port Talbot steel works always in sight the scenery is fairly dismal at times but once on to the dunes at least there's no lack of interest.

There were a few Whimbrel and Ringed Plover on the rocks at Sker Point and a steady stream of Swallows flew north, on the sandy dunes I found a handful of White Wagtails and about 30 Wheatears formed a loose flock on the short turf behind the beach. Many, if not all, were probably of the Greenland/Arctic Canada subspecies leucorhoa. Here's a typical male; heavy bodied and long-winged with rich orange buff underparts extending all the ways to the rear flanks and vent.

Wheatear prob. leucorhoa - 19/4/2014 Kenfig

Wheatear prob. leucorhoa - 19/4/2014 Kenfig

While I realise that wing measurements would be needed to confirm identification as leucorhoa, given the date, the long wings and the rich coloured underparts, it would be perverse not to call this at least a probable Greenland Wheatear.

Mediterranean Gulls

2nd November 2013 - Porthcawl

In the absence of anything noteworthy happening in my small corner of Devon - and since it's been a couple of weeks since my last post - here are some photos from a weekend trip to Wales.

I see Med Gulls most days in Topsham, but rarely close enough to take any useful photos. Beaches give much better opportunities to get nearer. These were taken at Rest Bay, Porthcawl, South Wales in a howling gale.

Mediterranean Gull - Porthcawl 2/11/2013

Mediterranean Gull - Porthcawl 2/11/2013

Mediterranean Gull - Porthcawl 2/11/2013

Ageing Med Gulls is usually straightforward. The individual above is in its second winter, in other words it's carrying its second set of primaries - second cycle would be another way of putting it. The flight feathers are pale grey and white-tipped but with markings on P7-10; on this bird the black is extremely restricted and mostly on P8 - there's a barely visible dark spot on P7 and little more on P9 and P10. I did wonder whether it wasn't an older bird - often 3rd winters show small dark marks on the outer primaries (Olsen 2004) - but the dull yellowish bill is indicative of a 2nd winter.

Next is an adult with pearly grey and white-tipped primaries - with the typical thin black line along the outer edge of P10 - and a blood red bill.

Mediterranean Gull - Porthcawl 2/11/2013

Mediterranean Gull - Porthcawl 2/11/2013

There was just one first winter bird (below), still showing juvenile wing coverts and blackish primaries; the mantle and scapulars are nearly all new with just a few remaining juvenile feathers.

Mediterranean Gull - Porthcawl 2/11/2013

Conditions were somewhat challenging with poor light and, at times, near horizontal rain, even the birds were leaning into the wind to stay grounded.

Mediterranean Gull - Porthcawl 2/11/2013

Mediterranean Gull - Porthcawl 2/11/2013

I still think of Med Gulls as fairly uncommon. This might be my local bias - in Topsham I see about a hundred Black-headed Gulls to every Med Gull and more than a handful is notable. It's more likely that I'm seriously out of touch - I used to think of the species as a rare breeder in Britain but it seems there are more than 1000 pairs now breeding along the coast from Dorset to Kent (Holling et al 2012). I'm now starting to wonder why I don't see more.

References

Olsen, K.M. & Larsson, H. 2004. Gulls of Europe, Asia and North America. A&C Black.
Holling, M. et al. 2012. Rare Breeding Birds in the United Kingdom 2010. British Birds, 105: 352-416.