A Gaudy Glauc

One of the many exciting things about this time of year is the overlap of the seasons.  

I went out this evening hoping to stumble upon possibly a Redstart, or any other exciting summer migrant, but instead a message from Phil soon saw me watching a staggeringly white and large first-winter Glaucous Gull on Sheep's Marsh...

Can't get much whiter than that!

Wasn't too sure of it's age at first, with a pink tip to the bill, and although it didn't show a truly pale iris you could see it was paler than the bird's pupil.  Thoughts of second-winter were at the forefront of my mind whilst watching it, although now am thinking that big wedge of black on the bill would support this being a faded first-winter bird.  And back to the eye, all the second-winter white-winged gulls I have seen in the past have showed clearly pale iris's, not subtly pale ones like this bird.

A big chunky bird!

Extent of pale bill tip visible here - only just the tip

I couldn't help but take a video as well, spring white-wingers don't usually linger like this on the Axe so wanted to make the most of it...

Late March/April is by a mile our most prolific time of year for white-winged gulls on the Axe, and it's been a fantastic late winter/spring for gulls in general on patch.  Glauc is the rarer of the two species though so it's great to get one under the belt.  I'd be very surprised if we don't get an Iceland at some point too - we've all been expecting one!

Other sightings from the past few days include a female Goosander on the Estuary on the evening of 7th, and a splattering of ten singing Willow Warblers around Black Hole and Seaton Marshes on the morning of the 6th.  I was pleased to see my first Osprey of the year over the upper Axe Estuary on the morning of 31st March, which I later learnt had been seen by Kev over Beer ten minutes earlier.

This is turning out to be one productive spring!