The rain banished me to the hide at Beddington where, with the landfill working, I spent the morning alone, inevitably looking through the gulls. Thousands of other gulls would have been out of view on the other side of the landfill site so I must have only looked through a small portion of the birds on site but, despite the lack of white-wingers, I managed to pick out four
Caspian Gulls, two each of first-winter and second-winter plumage.
One of the first-winters was bearing a yellow ring, 'X319'; this bird originates from a colony in Germany which is mainly
cachinnans (per Rich Bonser) but I wouldn't be surprised if this bird had a touch of impurity to it, as perhaps was the case in one of the second-winters. The
Black Swan was still trying to find a peaceful corner of the main lake and singles of
Cetti's Warbler and
Water Rail were vocal.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjmsjAbC5OjwyjDid9RS6wYRmmVgfTTudcYTkXGW6b3HUcUq1VtIJKc3rYCZDrt5p_y4t_khmG6B5gKO7wYWxHy0fzZpCo8Dj3Z_pBlwJnkRhz4knSoZi00Kg6Hz3nspQA7tr6g2rmRZGP/s640/1w+2.JPG) |
first-winter Caspian Gull |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVSwhr8dkH8Tkp180RtHmmA-8oc6o7O2RNFQB-gamceXJJpR8LEgrnoW3j2cabAWfeP02sfrWCzwAfV9e1nGji_alODHppW0H1ihP7cfBnldt2gxixCwjMb9aT3gKZZI0-0h7Z_KvKGqAf/s640/X319+1w.JPG) |
first-winter Caspian Gull (bearing yellow German ring 'X319') |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidr1k7287QmL93eE_xFNmSUInSDD9fLXLE6LDaM6RWH4E36v7u_Lom4mszFHBKK_5viipeCsanmtzc7W0xDhZM8PO5Eal7so8JVyB-u-1STHz8cDDvOdPZlri_2ftM9ELCkcO9K9gAVJ5s/s640/2w+1.JPG) |
second-winter Caspian Gull |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKfD_ufUeiS4JAYftb3eblNIEG381nBUhaoUS4UdnDJpTV8DA3lEDB5YPVn9JakVHAuEwCpRGDj3s-XPLsO3vX-SxPmkbFd9G90J5Y1VXEPtnAWsfxjQeJzINUJrBl7RfjwRRDWZ1q-91d/s640/2w+2.JPG) |
second-winter Caspian Gull |
A visit to Sutton later on provided a
Peregrine and a
Coal Tit was singing in the garden at home.