For the coming year I will be giving a monthly summary rather than a day by day review.
28th December The Ring-billed Gull was again doing what he does best at Westcliff, hanging out at the Groynes with Med.Gulls. At Gunners Park there were two Great Northern Divers offshore along with five or more Red-throated Divers and a large count of 125+ Great Crested Grebes.
19th December Despite the cold weather and bucket loads of gulls up on the tip Neil and I only managed to pull out a single adult Caspian Gull, a few Med.Gulls and a couple of Yellow-legged Gulls. Despite the frozen solid toes the adult Casp was worth it, good looking bird.
12th December Arrived late at the tip so missed the first ringing session and was then scoping the gulls on the main tipping area as we waited, in vain, for a second catch. Did manage to pick out a large first-winter Caspian Gull, four Yellow-legged Gulls, four adult Mediterranean Gulls and a leucistic Herring Gull. Hopefully next weekend I will be able to get back into the mellie.
5th December First birding day back in the UK following my trip to California and where do I go, yes the tip. Despite lots and lots of birds present it was hard work picking anything unusual out though Neil and myself did winkle out a fourth-year, an adult and second-winter Caspian Gull, the latter bird being a very subtle bird. There were a couple or Med. Gulls but other than that no Yellow-legs.
On the way home in the mid afternoon I stopped at Westcliff to look for Rossi, I hadn't seen any Ring-billed Gulls in oh six days. He was again present on lamp posts.
I finished up at the Shoebury East Beach Gull roost in the fading light but there was no sign of the hoped for Franklin's Gull that had been in the area a week ago, hey ho can't have them all.