Blinged gulls from the weekend

One thing is for sure, gull ringing coordinators aren't half efficient in getting back to you when it comes to ring reporting. From the 10 ringed gulls I read on Saturday, I've had all 10 back already, including one from Belgium and one from Norway. In fact, it's a real blessing when you get a Norwegian ringed bird as you get the results immediately submitting it through Ringmerking - a phenomenal, user friendly database. So here is a nice, docile looking 1st-winter Great Black-backed Gull: -

JP783 - ringed as a chick on 7th July 2012 at Store Vengelsholmen, Mandal, Vest-Agder, Norway (844 km away as the gull flies)

This 3rd-winter Herring Gull was Belgian ringed, and from a scheme I've come across on a couple of occasions previously. This bird is a regular at the tip: -

PH.AS - ringed as a chick at Zeebrugge, Belgium on 8th July 2010, turning up at the tip on 17th December 2010 and 22nd January 2011. It then headed back across The Channel and was seen at the massive landfill site at Blaringhem, Nord, France on 13th October 2011 before arriving back at the tip here on 24th December 2011. It again went back to Belgium on 15th April 2012 before favouring Blaringhem landfill on 26th April 2012, 4th and 19th October 2012. Then came this sighting. Gulls are certainly creatures of habit.

This adult Lesser Black-backed Gull, although ringed by the NTGG on the tip, it had ventured as far south as Madrid: -

KB9T - ringed on the tip on 24th March 2012, it was still here on 21st July 2012; by the 16th September 2012 it was at Colmenar Viejo landfill, Madrid, Spain. Saturday's sighting is the first since then.

Once again, reading gull rings is becoming a decent part of my birding, especially this winter with the general level of birding having been so poor here in the London area. Perhaps there'll be some sign of Spring come next weekend, but that seems hopeful judging from the current forecast.