A touch of the Med !

7 March 2010
While off to dump a load of garden rubbish at the Abbey and pick up some well rotted cow manure a quick stop at The Lakes provided me with a real bonus and a Pentney tick ! Two Mediterranean Gulls were on the water and then flying around. Rubbish photo below of them at long distance, but you can make out what they are, all white upper wing, stubbier bill than Black-headed, and that distinctive drooping head appearance. Also the flight action was stiffer than the accompanying Black-headed Gulls

a less rounded head than the Black-head Gull. This one here is an adult summer bird

and this one (below) still to get it's full black hood, no sign of black on the wing (apart from outer primary) so I guess an adult winter coming into adult summer, rather than a second winter bird. Crikey I really do dislike ageing Gulls - find them really difficult.

Med Gulls have been reported at the lakes before, but I've never caught up with them so this was a right result as they say.