GULLS, Review of 2012

A look back at the GULL days out in 2012 18 SPECIES seen for the year !

Mediterranean Gull, adult winter Southend Pier, Essex, 14th January, 2012

Kittiwake, adult winter Dungeness, Kent 22nd January, 2012

Little Gull, 1st winter Dungeness, Kent, 22nd January, 2012

Caspian Gull, 1st winter Dungeness, Kent, January 22nd, 2012

Common Gull, adult winter Leysdown, Isle of Sheppey, Kent, 28th January, 2012

First week in February was our Gull trip to Nimmo's Pier, Galway, Ireland with a day visit to Ardglass, County Down, Northern Ireland

Glaucous Gull, 1st winter Ardglass, County Down, Northern Ireland, 5th February, 2012

Glaucous Gull, 1st winter Ardglass, County Down, Northern Ireland, 5th February, 2012

Kittiwake, 1st winter Ardglass, County Down, Northern Ireland, 5th February, 2012

Iceland Gull, 1st winter Ardglass, County Down, Northern Ireland, 5th February, 2012

Iceland Gull, 1st winter Nimmo's Pier, Galway, Ireland, 6th February, 2012

Kumlein's Gull, 2nd winter Nimmo's Pier, Galway, Ireland, 3rd February, 2012

Iceland Gull, 3rd & 2nd winter, Sligo, Ireland, 4th February, 2012

Iceland Gull, adult winter, Ardglass, County Down, Northern Ireland, 5th February, 2012

Ring-billed Gull, adult winter Nimmo's Pier, Galway, Ireland, 3rd February, 2012

Kumlein's Gull, 1st winter Ardglass, County Down, Northern Ireland, 5th February, 2012

Back from Ireland, our next day outing was to Dover for another Kumlein's !

Kumlein's Gull, 2nd winter Admiralty Pier, Dover, Kent, 18th February, 2012

Kumlein's Gull, 2nd winter Admiralty Pier, Dover, Kent, 18th February, 2012

A return to Dover on the 25th February, 2012

Kittiwake, adult winter Admiralty Pier, Dover, Kent, 25th February, 2012

Kumlein's Gull, 2nd winter Admiralty Pier, Dover, Kent, 25th February, 2012

Herring Gull Admiralty Pier, Dover, Kent, 25th February, 2012

A day trip to the Cardiff Bay, Wales to look for the Bonaparte's Gull

Lesser Blacked-back Gull Cardiff Bay, 4th March, 2012

Bonaparte's Gull Cardiff Bay, Wales, 4th March, 2012

Later in the month Rye Harbour

Mediterranean Gull, adult Rye Nature Reserve, East Sussex, 31st March, 2012

Black-headed Gulls Rye Nature Reserve, East Sussex, 7th April, 2012

first week in May saw our trip to Majorca and the superb Audouin's Gulls !

Audouin's Gull Puerto Pollenca, Majorca, 1st May, 2012

Audouin's Gull Puerto Pollenca, Majorca, 1st May, 2012

The Farne Islands, Northumberland trip

Lesser Black-backed Gull Farne Islands, Northumberland, 3rd July, 2012

Herring Gull Farne Islands, Northumberland, 2nd July, 2012

Herring Gull Farne Islands, Northumberland, 3rd July, 2012

Romania, Danube Delta trip in June

Pallas's Gull, (Great Black-headed Gull) Romania, Danube Delta, June 17th, 2012

Pallas's Gull, Romania, Danube Delta, June 17th, 2012

July was a 'blank month, but then the first week in August on a visit to Dungeness.

We had heard there had been a Sabine's Gull reported at Camber / Rye the day before, we mused the possibility of it turning up at the patch. As we parked at the Power Station, we were 'overtaken by M.C.' telling us that the Sabine's was indeed seen 'here now' ! Luck does not get better than this !

Sabine's Gull Dungeness, Kent, 5th August, 2012

September and October we spent mostly at Dungeness

Yellow-legged Gull Dungeness, Kent, 1st September, 2012

Great Black-backed Gull Dungeness, Kent, 1st September, 2012

Great Black-backed Gull Dungeness, Kent, 2nd September, 2012

Yellow-legged Gull Dungeness, Kent, 20th October, 2012

Black-headed Gull Dungeness, Kent, 27th October, 2012

and the return of the Glaucous Gull, now 3rd winter

Glaucous Gull, 3rd winter Dungeness, Kent, 27th October, 2012

Glaucous Gull, 3rd winter Dungeness, Kent, 27th October, 2012

Black-headed Gull Dungeness, Kent, 3rd November, 2012

In November, a day in Devon at Dawlish Warren, the weather was perfect and the Bonaparte's was feeding 'in close'

Bonaparte's Gull, adult winter Dawlish Warren, Devon, 11th November