Sat 15th Oct

- c15 Redwings low over Redgate Lane / yard

Sun 9th Oct

- Herring Gull Y:685 still visiting the site. Looks totally different to a month ago now with its streaked head. It will probably visit the site on and off over the winter as it?s done in the past.

Tues 11th Oct

- 1 Jay over BCA, dropped down near PDSA (am)
- 2 Raven over Hyde Rd / Redgate Lane (am)
- 4 Grey Wagtails this evening (2 on 384 roof, 2 on prefabs)

Few visits this week but with the darker nights drawing in its been a bit late after work and most of the Gulls have gone to roost.

However, just had a Raven low over the site (Friday) and on Tuesday and Wednesday there were 2 Grey Wagtails both visits, and a Sparrowhawk on Sunday afternoon.

Few visits over weekend, a few intriguing Gulls seen but I will probably dumb them down as nothing interesting.

Sat 24th Sept.
- 3 cracking Argentatus Gulls

Sun 25th.
- 4 Argentatus Gulls
- 1 Ring-necked Parakeet

Mon 26th.
- 4 Argentatus Gulls

and a Lesser Black-backed Gull K+N on a very pale green ring. Bird flew off so no images but got the ring number with my bins when it was fairly close in the yard.
Tried cr-birding with a lime green ring and 2 alpha settings, even though it wasnt really a lime green. Pete Rock came up as possible ringer and if it wasnt one of his then hed probably know whos it was as he is one of the cr-birding
co-ordinators.

Had a reply this afternoon and it is indeed one of his.
It was ringed in Bath 09.07.14, has been seen again in Bath 2016, but as Pete put in his reply Good work Rob, this bird has stayed under the radar for over 5 years.
And his definition of the ring colour is PG3 (Pale Green 3) that he has only used 3 times, certainly not lime in his opinion!

Thurs 22nd Sept

- adult Yellow-legged Gull
Showing well for a short while on 384 roof this afternoon but flew off towards BCA, tried to relocate it but the rain was getting heavier and my lunch break was ending.

-- Edited by Rob Creek on Thursday 22nd of September 2022 09:20:05 PM

Tues 20th Sept

- Lesser Black-backed Gull T0XM again late morning.
- 4 adult Great Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Wagtail
- 2 Pied Wagtails
- an unexpected Great Spotted Woodpecker flyover

Just had a reply from Mark Fitzpatrick, Manx Ringing Group.

Lesser Black-backed Gull T0XM

I apologise for the lack of replies. Thanks for your three emails about T0XM. It is interesting that it is hanging around the site and not just feeding up and moving on south. This LBB Gull was ringed as a chick near the Point of Ayre, at the northern tip of the Isle of Man on 1/7/2011.

Some of our Manx LBBs of a similar age have been seen over 20 times, mostly from their wintering sites in southern Spain or in Portugal. This has been seen only twice since ringed, prior to your sightings:

visit_date capture_time location_name gridRef
01/07/2011 18:00 SAN-POA (Point of Ayre) NX4604
22/12/2012 12:00 SANLOR (San Lorenzo Beach, Gijon)
06/08/2014 12:00 AGP (Point of Ayre Gravel Pits) NX4504

San Lorenzo Beach is on the north coast of Spain, west of Santander.

The BTO ring number for this bird is GR21815.

kind regards,

Mark

Mark Fitzpatrick
for Manx Ringing Group

Rob Creek wrote:

---

Mon 19th Sept
- Lesser Black-backed Gull T0XM still

Tues 20th Sept
- 128 Pink-footed Geese over North 8.20am
(2 skeins 60 & 68)

---

Another 54 over North at 8.48am

Mon 19th Sept
- Lesser Black-backed Gull T0XM still

Tues 20th Sept
- 128 Pink-footed Geese over North 8.20am
(2 skeins 60 & 68)

Back early hours Friday morning from a week in Crete, serious Gull withdrawal symptoms not only from missing Redgate but also through a lack of Gulls over there!

Of interest I has a few replies from Tim Frayling regarding some recent ringed birds seen here in the last few weeks.

N:M03 Lesser Black-backed Gull
Ringed 06.07.22 at Abbeystead Fell, Bowland, Lancs

N:M43 Lesser Black-backed Gull
Ringed 06.07.22 at Abbeystead Fell, Bowland, Lancs

N:W34 Lesser Black-backed Gull
Ringed 15.07.22 at Walney Island, Cumbria

Tues 6th Sept

- Lesser Black-backed Gull T0XM present yet again today, showing well early evening.

Reply from Mike Jackson today.
Y:685 not seen since it was last here at Redgate early this year.

Lesser Black-backed Gull T0XM present this lunchtime.
Not had a reply from the Manx group yet.

Sat 3rd Sept

- Herring Gull Y:685
No stranger to Redgate this one.

Reply from Tim Frayling regarding N:81C

Ringed at Bowland, Lancashire 05.07.19 and has been here at Redgate on a few occasions, the only place its been resighted.

Forgot to post also from Thurs 1st Sep

- N:W34
Difficult to know for sure but I think its a Lesser Black-backed Gull

Thurs 1st Sept

- Lesser Black-backed Gull T0XM
- Herring Gull N:M43

Sat 28th Aug

- Lesser Black-backed Gull T0XM again
(Manx ringed, still awaiting reply for first sighting)
- Common Buzzard high over Hyde Rd


-- Edited by Rob Creek on Tuesday 30th of August 2022 10:42:47 PM

-- Edited by Rob Creek on Tuesday 30th of August 2022 10:45:02 PM

Fri 26th Aug
Afternoon tacho break just coming to an end when I picked up an individual in flight around the yard that looked good for a Yellow-legged Gull. It landed on the yard roof out of sight. End of tacho break so no time to relocate it.
Went back at tea-time for a quick visit.

- adult type Yellow-legged Gull landed on 384 roof.
Smart looking bird with some good looking features, but perhaps the thing that concerned me a little was the bare part colouration of the legs. Not a deepish yellow as expected but more of a fleshy yellow. I think it certainly deserves a submission in my view.

- Herring Gull (?) N:M43 present this afternoon.
One of Tim Fraylings birds.

Sun 21st Aug

- sub adult Yellow-legged Gull
Called in early evening with Lucas on way back from Nannas. It flew in onto the 384 roof for a minute or so then flew off, didnt see it again.

Same bird as 30th July and 8th Aug in my opinion.

Received a reply from Roland-jan Buijs today.

Caspian Gull 1.B

Ringed - 13.05.22, at IJsselmeer, Noord, Holland.
Ringer - Leon Kelder

Received a reply from Richard Thompson (RSPCA, East Sussex) who used to ring urban Herring Gulls and did a Masters paper on the factors affecting admission to the rehabilitation centre and subsequent survival rates as opposed to their wild counterparts.

Herring Gull A300 from 3rd August is actually A3GG.
Ringed 12.08.05 as a juvenile
Released at Pett Level Beach, Winchelsea, East Sussex.

Returned early afternoon on my lunch to see if the red ringed juvenile Caspian Gull was still present but no sign.

I did a quick count of the Lesser Black-backed Gulls c230 adults on BCA roof, c40 on 384 roof, plenty more on yard roofs and in the air, lost count.
Well in excess of 300 adults easily, spectacular for here, thats without other ages.


Managed a pass out after work for what was to be a very interesting couple of hours.
c100+ adult Lesser Black-backed

Also
Lesser Black-backed Gull JE8K Norwegian ringed.
Ringed 01.07.12 Byparken, Bergen, Norway
Sighted 15.04.21 Kjevikdalen, Lindås, Norway
Then its my sighting tonight.

Possible adult Yellow-legged Gull and possible hybrid too, no doubt Ill be put out of my misery soon.


-- Edited by Rob Creek on Monday 15th of August 2022 09:32:55 PM

Mon 15th Aug.
Dropped Lucas off at nursery then called in for 10 minutes before work this morning.

- Lesser Black-backed T0XM still present
- juvenile Gull with red ring 1.B

Sent the sighting off to a Dutch ringing group so Im waiting on a reply then go from there.

Rob Creek wrote:

---

Sat 13th Aug

Another ringed Gull in the shape of what I think is a Lesser Black-backed, although they are rather difficult to separate at this early stage.

Also a Common Buzzard over 384 building but not a single Gull could be bothered getting up to mob it.

---

Ring No. N:M03

Sat 13th Aug

Another ringed Gull in the shape of what I think is a Lesser Black-backed, although they are rather difficult to separate at this early stage.

Also a Common Buzzard over 384 building but not a single Gull could be bothered getting up to mob it.

Thurs 11th Aug

- Lesser Black-backed Gull, black ring T0XM
Manx ringed bird by the looks of it, awaiting reply.


Received reply from Tim Frayling a few days ago for Lesser Black-backed Gull NE60 from 9th July, a mix up with recipients apparently.
Bird was ringed as a chick 02.07.19 on Ribble Estuary.

I wont receive a reply for N:81C until end of August as he is on holiday.

Mon 8th Aug

- sub adult Yellow-legged Gull
Nipped out of work on my lunch and found it almost immediately on the BCA roof. Most of the Gulls had their mouths open trying to keep cool in the hot sun. It was present for the duration of my visit.

Also..
- approx 120 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

Weds 3rd Aug
- Herring Gull white ring A300, probably south coast ringed.


Sat 6th Aug
- Herring Gull N:81C
- probable Argentatus Gull

Mon 1st Aug

Nipped back after work as I had a suspicion Id seen something in flight over the yard but couldnt pin it down, it was a good decision to go back.

- Yellow-legged Gull (another sub adult)
Different bird to Saturday in my opinion, based on differences in bill pattern, mantle grey hue, P-10 mirror was slightly different, and Saturdays bird showed a black band on P5 when at rest which could be purely positional stance but looked to be a noticeable difference to me.

Sat 30th July.
- Whilst looking for the Yellow-legged Gull I found an Argenteus Herring Gull with seemingly yellow legs but it was distant, light trickery could be a factor.


Sun 31st July.
- 2 Canada Geese at the end of Redgate Lane walking into BCA brought a smile
- 1 Grey Wagtail
- 4 Pied Wagtail

Mon 1st Aug
Nipped out from work on lunch early afternoon.
- 1 Common Buzzard over 384 / Hyde Rd put up 100+ Gulls and was mobbed by a small group of Lesser Black-backed.
- 1 Grey Wagtail
- 1 Cormorant over

Did a good check of all the roofs in the triangle but no sign of the Yellow-legged Gull up to around 3.30pm.

Of note
- c100+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls
55 on 384 roof, 34 on BCA, c15-20 in yard

Sat 30th July

- sub adult Yellow-legged Gull

Different bird to the presumed bird the other day, firstly picked it up in flight as many of the Gulls were swirling around the yard and over Redgate Lane at lunchtime. Then it did the decent thing and landed on the 384 roof where it stayed for around 10 minutes before doing a quick fly round and back on the roof.
It was showing well on the rubbish mound for a while up until around 20 minutes ago and Ive not seen it since.

Fri 22nd July
Afternoon tacho break.

- sub adult Yellow-legged Gull

Flew in and landed on the 384 roof, stuck around for a good 15 minutes before flying over the yard.
Looked ok in my opinion, seemed to show some good features, will be submitted as always.

Sat 16th July
Teatime visit after calling at Tesco Gorton.

- 3CY Yellow-legged Gull
Not 100% on the age as a couple of features had me tooing and frowing but Ill stick with 2nd summer.
It will be submitted as always.
- 25+ adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Black-headed Gulls

Sat 9th July.
Morning visit before Lucas football class.

- Lesser Black-backed Gull, green ring NE60

Sent info to Tim Frayling at NW Gulls

Monday and Tuesday.
Afternoon breaks for both visits.

Only thing of note is the seemingly increasing numbers of Lesser Black-backed Gulls with approx 40 adults both afternoons.

Sat 25th June.
Quick lunchtime visit after Lucas football.

- c30 adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- c20-25 immature and sub adult Lesser Blacks
- 2 Common Swift
- 1 Kestrel over Hyde Rd


Sunday 26th June.
Afternoon visit.

- minimum 41 Magpies
- c30-40 adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls with plenty of immatures and sub adults around
- c30 Carrion Crows
- 15+ Jackdaws
- some Goldfinch flying around too
- then what a sight when a mass of Starlings alighted from all areas of the yard. Probably in excess of 500-600 birds, fantastic.

Sat 18th June
Morning visit before Lucas football.

- c50 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (c30 ad)
- c40 Herring Gulls (c10 ad)
- c100 Starling
- 1 Sparrowhawk being harassed by Magpie


-- Edited by Rob Creek on Saturday 18th of June 2022 01:15:57 PM

Day off so took Lucas to nursery and called in briefly.

Magpie chick sat at side of road not looking in the best of shape and not budging when people walking passed. I picked it up and put it just under the railings within the grounds of the 384 building. Within a minute or so it started preening and an adult bird appeared on the roof so probably will have a good outcome, if the Gulls or Crows dont see it!


-- Edited by Rob Creek on Thursday 16th of June 2022 11:35:31 AM

-- Edited by Rob Creek on Thursday 16th of June 2022 11:37:41 AM

Mon 6th June.

A morning dental appointment stopped me from going out delivering, but it meant I had 45 minutes to nip out to Redgate for my lunch. Interesting visit!

- c40 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 LBb with bright green ring
- 1 Herring Gull with white ring

As suspected, unfortunately without any numbers or letters I cant even hazard a guess as to where they were ringed, as a quick look on cr-birding suggests either bird could potentially be from anywhere.
UK, Spain, Holland, Russia, ???

Couple of visits over the weekend.
Plenty of birds look to have bred close by, I observed young of various species in the yard.

- c500 Starling what a site when they all took flight from the mound, mostly young.
- a young Dunnock hopping around the yard.
- young Carrion Crows adding to the already big numbers.
- young House Sparrows dotted around
- even a young Blue Tit calling to a parent bird

Also of note
- c60 large Gulls (2/3 Lesser Black-backed)
- 1 Whitethroat singing from BCA Auctions hedge
- 1 Chiffchaff singing from PDSA car park

Mon 23rd May
Quick afternoon visit.

Of note an Argenteus Herring Gull with yellow legs.


-- Edited by Rob Creek on Tuesday 24th of May 2022 05:34:29 PM

Saturday May 21st

Couldnt resist a cheeky call in whilst popping to MacD for breakfast, and I was pleased to see that Gull numbers are finally on the up, NOT!

- 15 large Gulls
12 Lesser Black-backed, 2 Herring and a 2nd yr Great Black-backed.
- 6 Goldfinch
- 2 Dunnock
- 1 Robin
- c100 Starling incl juvs on the mound

Saturday morning.

No Gulls whatsoever but there was a Blackcap singing in the grounds of the PDSA animal centre

Sat 26th March

- c10 large Gulls
3 adult Lesser Black-backed
2 1st w Great Black-backed
The rest looked to be Herrings

Also a Chiffchaff singing in thicket further up Redgate Lane at the PDSA animal centre

Friday.
- 5 Herring Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
That was it!

Saturday.
Not a single Gull this morning but somewhere in the region of 30-40 Carrion Crows.

Forgot to post this from Sunday.
Herring Gull with unusually long curved bill in the yard, seemed to be feeding ok.

Monday 14th March

Nothing of note during a few visits over the weekend then a mid-afternoon visit today saw a 1st winter Caspian Gull briefly on the rubbish mound then chasing a Black-headed Gull over the 384 building before giving up and landing on the back side of the new looking warehouse roof opposite BCA and I didnt see it again.

(ps. It was the one with the white wing patch and long grey tertial)

Also
- c150 Black-headed Gulls
- c40+ Carrion Crows

Friday morning.

- 2nd winter Caspian Gull present 8.25am, briefly on yard cabins but became mobile.
(Its the one with the complete black tail band)