Unusual white-winged gulls

Photos:

Two first winter Herring Gulls with pale primaries, a third winter Iceland Gull and an adult Yellow-legged Gull at Richmond Bank
Cock Blackbird which seemed to be keeping an eye on me in a car park in Culcheth

3rd April

I managed to nip over to HGF early on, in between showers. Not so quiet today, mainly because an intruding pair of Oystercatchers had just arrived and the resident pair where non too impressed. On the water no change from yesterday and no hirundines. Three Stock Doves were feeding on the far bank and the Chiffchaff is still singing on the east side - the first time I have seen one stay this long.

Mid morning with the threatened heavy rain not really materialising I headed off to Richmond Bank. When I arrived there were precious few gulls around - 20 minutes later a few thousand arrived. Most were either first winter Herring (est 50%) or adult Lesser Black-backed (est 40%) with half a dozen Great Black-backed and a single Common Gull also present. No Black-headed Gulls around.

I started scanning through the flock which was restless and spooked several times, all the while listening to my first two Willow Warblers of the year. Interestingly I found two first winter Herring Gulls with pale primaries - one looks quite normal other than the almost white primaries with the other gull being a very blotchy individual. Also present was a large, third winter Iceland Gull which seemed to spend most of its time picking fights at the back of the flock. I also found an adult Yellow-legged Gull.

Viewing conditions were difficult with most gulls lying down and facing head on and eventually the rain appeared, signalling the end of gulling today. As I left most of the gulls did likewise and flew down river. On my way back to the car I heard two singing Chiffchaffs and 10 Meadow Pipits flew around the old tip.

After a few errands in Culcheth this afternoon (where a Blackbird seemed to stalk me) I drove over to Rixton. On the way I noticed a flock of 70+ Stock Doves in the field in front of Frank's Farm. A quick check of Moat Lane pools yielded nothing other than a pair of Teal. The Mute Swan, JP4, and his mate have not been here now for nearly a week. Perhaps after 2 years on this little patch of water he has finally decided to go and explore a bit. On the mosses were 6 Wheatears with a male and 2 females in the ploughed field by the tip, a female by the wood pile and a male and female in the ploughed fields 200m northwest of the junction between Holly Bush and Prospect Lanes. I also picked up a Corn Bunting and 3 Yellowhammers.

The feeding station is busier today with 65+ Tree Sparrows, 8 Yellowhammers, 2 Stock Doves and 2 Grey Partridges feeding when I visited briefly late afternoon.