GRC Blog


Welcome to the GRC Recorders pages. This blog provides details on all the relevant news of Glamorgan’s scarcer birds, plus all BBRC & WRP decisions that affect us locally. It will also be used to document the status and occurrence of these scarcer species and we welcome contributions from anyone with photographs, artwork or documentation of rarities past, present and future. The GRC also welcomes all seawatching news from around Glamorgan and news of passage migrants in spring & autumn, uncommon birds in our area and unusual behaviour.


All visitors are welcome. You must first register by sending an email to GlamRC@gmail.com before you can contribute. An invite will be sent to your email address. Blog content will be strictly moderated. Access to pages and downloads are available to everyone. All photographs on this blog remain the property of the originator.
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The Glamorgan Rarities Committee, in conjunction with the Glamorgan Bird Club & Gower Wildlife , have agreed to co-operate with the Welsh Ornithological Society in the sharing of bird records & photographs in the interest of keeping accurate records and to promote birdwatching in North, Mid & South Wales.

Sunday 2 February 2014

Kumlien's Gull at Blackpill

At 16:50hrs a Kumlien's Gull flew into bathe in the pill straight out Blackpill Lido. The bill suggests this is probably a 3cy bird. By the time I walked out to the bird (the tide was well out) the light was very poor but the grabs from the phone'scope videos HERE and HERE show sufficient detail to confirm it.

5 comments:

Mark Hipkin said...

Very nice find Barry. And good vides too - really useful.

Paul Larkin said...

It's interesting to note the difference in status of this type of bird in the USA compared with the UK where this would be called an Iceland Gull albeit on the slightly dark part of the spectrum, with a full spectrum of birds through to those with very dark markings which, presumably, have charcoal wing markings when adult. Then of course you have Thayers/Iceland hybrids/intergrades........the whole thing's a mess!!

Barry Stewart said...

I agree Paul - confusion rules with the glaucoides-kumlieni-thayeri trio. So long as we can document the records of these birds as best we can, the rarities committees and taxonomists can decide where the records are to be placed.

Paul Larkin said...

Barry. Unfortunately in recent years the voice of academic taxonomists has, in many areas, been drowned out by the amateurs in the popular birding press, but that's a debate for elsewhere. You often see juv Glaucous Gulls with dark primaries so maybe its a common trait in white winged gulls. I do enjoy your videos, what equipment do you use?

Barry Stewart said...

Just an iPhone hand held to the eyepiece of the scope. The results will never win any prizes but the zoom you can get is pretty impressive and of course there is no extra kit to carry so you can actually go birding rather than togging, which is my preference. Getting a record shot seems pretty much essential these days for dodgy gulls and this is the easiest method I've found to do that - you wouldn't believe how shocking the light was light night, yet that tiny phone lens found light from somewhere!