A ringed Lesser black-backed gull

20 Thursday Oct 2022

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, colour-ringed birds, colour-ringed gull, colour-ringed Lesser black-backed gull, Lesser black-backed gull

Whenever I spot a colour-ringed gull, I always try to get photographs of the ring so I can report the sighting and find out the bird’s history. Sometimes that history is quite exciting, with birds being reported from foreign shores, but this particular seabird, a Lesser black-backed gull spotted at Roath Park lake last week, is a bit of a stay-at-home.

221020 ringed lbb gull (2)

According to Peter Rock, urban gull expert and ringing scheme organiser, the gull was ringed in Cardiff in 2020 but has only ever been sighted at the lake. Peter does say that it might ‘set off late to spend its winter somewhere unknown’ … or it might just hang around in Cardiff all year, as many gulls do. If I visit the lake during the winter months, I will certainly be looking out for it.

221020 ringed lbb gull (1)

Fledged

19 Tuesday Jul 2022

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, Lesser black-backed gull, Lesser black-backed gull chicks, urban gull chicks, urban gull nest

Last Saturday afternoon, with much screeching and peeping, this year’s Lesser black-backed gull chick fledged from its home amongst a neighbour’s chimney pots – the same location and, presumably, the same pair of gulls as I’ve posted about here before (in The eggs have hatched!, June 2019 and Fledging, July 2020). I’m never sure whether the chicks’ departures from these rooftop nests are deliberate or accidental – some over-jealous wing-flapping, perhaps? But this year it was certainly well timed to miss the scorching heatwave – I can’t begin to imagine what the temperature would be on the rooftops in full sun.

I’m pleased to report the fledgling has made it through its first couple of nights and days. When I headed out early Sunday morning for a walk, it was sitting across the road in the local church grounds, an adult on the roof top keeping an eye on it, and that’s where it seems to have remained, a relatively safe and sheltered spot next to a very busy road. Fingers crossed for its continued survival!

220719 LBB fledgling

p.s. The top two images were taken when it was still in the ‘nest’; the photos are dated 11 and 12 July respectively.

More urban gull chicks

15 Tuesday Jun 2021

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, Lesser black-backed gull, Lesser black-backed gull chicks, urban gull chicks

As I meander around the local area on my daily walks, I’ve been keeping an eye out for more examples of Lesser black-backed gulls nesting in our urban environment. For the birds, I guess any small flat space on a roof top is the same as a ledge on a cliff face, and they are certainly very good at finding and using those spaces for their nests. Both of today’s examples are from the health care sector, the first on top of a building at Llandough Hospital and the second, with two well-grown chicks, on the rooftop of Nuffield Health Cardiff Bay Hospital.

210615 urban gull chicks (3)

Cheeping up a storm

05 Saturday Jun 2021

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, gull chicks, Lesser black-backed gull, Lesser black-backed gull chicks, urban gull chicks

My nearest Lesser black-backed gulls (the ones who’ve featured in many previous blogs, see here and here) were late getting started this year and are still sitting tight.

210605 LBB chicks (1)

But, down at the end of the lane, in amongst the chimney pots, another regular pair of Lesser black-backed gulls is once again raising a family.

210605 LBB chicks (2)

And, when I passed by yesterday, these three youngsters were cheeping up a storm, especially when mum – or dad – returned to feed them.

210605 LBB chicks (3)

296/366 A gull’s history

22 Thursday Oct 2020

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, colour-ringed gull, colour-ringed Lesser black-backed gull, Cosmeston, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, Lesser black-backed gull

Yesterday’s inbox contained an email with the life history of this ringed Lesser black-backed gull I found at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park and reported to the BTO’s ringers on 5 October. This bird was first ringed on Flat Holm Island, in the Bristol Channel off the south Wales coast, on 1 July 2017. A couple of months later, on 6 September, it was spotted at Cosmeston, and then it headed 1200 kms south to Matosinhos, a port and fishing town in Portugal, where it was seen twice in October 2017, on the 27th and again on the 31st. The bird wasn’t seen again until my recent report so it’s anybody’s guess where it’s been for the past three years.

201022 ringed lesser black-backed gull

246/366 Junior

02 Wednesday Sep 2020

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, gull chick, Lesser black-backed gull, Lesser black-backed gull juvenile, urban gull nest

I feel a bit like a proud parent sharing photos of their child when I post news of the Lesser black-backed gull that was born amongst a neighbour’s chimney pots but … here’s junior, a month on from the last update. It still comes back to the nest area almost every day, still screeches pleadingly at its parents for food, but it seems to be doing well, and looked rather splendid in the soft light early this morning.

200902 lbb juvenile

219/366 Gull update

06 Thursday Aug 2020

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, gull fledgling, Lesser black-backed gull

It’s two weeks today since junior Lesser black-backed gull flew the coop – or, in this case, the nest amongst the chimney pots, and I’m pleased to report that it seems to be thriving.

200806 lesser black-backed gull fledgling (1)

I’ve spotted it on neighbouring shed and house rooftops several times, and I’m sure it’s the same bird, as one or both of the adults sit on the nest site while junior screeches at them for food from somewhere nearby. It’s so nice to be able to report a success story.

200806 lesser black-backed gull fledgling (2)

206/366 Fledging

24 Friday Jul 2020

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, gull chick learning to fly, gull chicks, Lesser black-backed gull, urban gull nest

From an initial count of three chicks, the local Lesser black-backed gulls nesting amongst a neighbour’s chimney pots have managed to raise one to fledging. I’ve been watching it practising its flying skills over recent days and, finally this morning, it has left the shelter of its nest site.

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Though it was pottering around the rooftops for a while, I can no longer see the chick. Now follows the dangerous time for this fledgling of learning to find its own food, finding shelter against bad weather, escaping domestic cats and dogs in the various neighbours’ gardens, and avoiding cars on roads…. Good luck, little one!

200724 lbb chick (18)

172/366 Chicks

20 Saturday Jun 2020

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature

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gull chicks, gulls nesting amongst chimney pots, Lesser black-backed gull, urban gull nest

The neighbourhood Lesser black-backed gulls, presumably the same pair as last year, have bred again, amongst the chimney pots of a house over the back lane from me. I first noticed them checking out their previous nesting spot a couple of months ago – the photo below was taken on 22 March, and there was a lot of mating activity in early May (see Bonding, 4 May).

200620 1 LBB gulls 22March

The female started sitting in mid May, and I spotted the first chick on 12 June.

200620 2 chicks 12June

Now there are three chicks, the same number as this pair started off with last year, though they only managed to fledge one. I’ll keep you updated on this year’s success (or failure) rate. Fingers crossed!

200620 3 chicks 17June

125/366 Bonding

04 Monday May 2020

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature, spring

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, gulls mating, Lesser black-backed gull

During the past couple of weeks, it’s been fascinating to watch two Lesser black-backed gulls – presumably, the same two who nested amongst a group of neighbouring chimney pots last year – renewing their pair bonds and practising their seduction techniques. The process goes a bit like this …

200504 lesser black-backed gulls (1)

They circle each other, beaks thrust towards the sky in unison, and there’s some low bird-speak (as opposed to gull shrieking) …

200504 lesser black-backed gulls (2)

One bird (the female, I think) begs the other for food, as if it is a chick, and the second bird regurgitates a niblet of food …

200504 lesser black-backed gulls (3)

There’s more circling and beak thrusting and chatter …

200504 lesser black-backed gulls (4)

Finally, the males jumps on the back of the female, though it takes them a couple of minutes to spread their wings, tails, feathers to reach the right angle to achieve copulation …

200504 lesser black-backed gulls (5)

And this happens more than once, the male remaining on the female’s back until they’ve copulated three times during this one session …

200504 lesser black-backed gulls (6)

Once finished, he jumps off, she puts her head down and waggles her rear end, and there is more low chatter, and a little beak bumping, before they both fly off.

200504 lesser black-backed gulls (7)