A very windy and wet morning at Leeshaw with a strong S>5 gusting 6 with full, very dark, cloud and light rain throughout at a mild 5 degrees.
The birds must have been keeping their heads down today in the strong wind with a much quieter morning than yesterday with only a handful of small gulls present on the water and none in the local fields. The water otherwise held the usual 2 male and 1 female Goosander, a few Mallard, Canadas and Greylag as well as a single Cormorant.
A Sparrowhawk soared high up in the dark sky keeping a watch on the numerous Starling, Fieldfare and Redwing but only 1 Mistle Thrush seen today as well as 8 Meadow Pipit.
On the journey there and back there were several large flocks of Fieldfare over the fields at Keelham, Shay bottom, Denholme Gate and Thornton Moor.
Re the gull I reported from Leeshaw on the 27th and put as a Yellow Legged gull, michahellis, which caused some interest from fellow gullers, has caused me a considerable amount of time going through the gull bibles as well as hundreds of photos and internet sites as well as gull research and I now believe the gull to be a Larus Argentatus Omissus, or sometimes called a Marsh gull due to its breeding habitat.
The dark head streaking, resembling a hood, eliminates it from being michahellis whilst the hood and yellow legs points to the eastern Baltic race Herring gull argentatus omissus. These gulls from the east Baltic breed in Russia, and winter mainly around the Channel Isles. I,ve had argentatus Herring gull , which is slightly darker mantled than our usual argenteus Herring, at local sites, though not often, whilst omissus, meaning yellow legged is much rarer.
The other possibility is Azores gull, which is a dark hooded yellow legged gull and a sub species of michahellis but due to bill colour ,plus the fact that it is mainly a resident bird to the Azores and a very rare vagrant to Great Britain I,ve eliminated this species.
There is also the chance of a Hybrid though none that show the dark head streaking.
This conclusion is for my records only as without being able to check several other id features, mainly primary tip pattern, etc it,s impossible to confirm its identity 100%. Hopefully it will return but highly unlikely as probably just a passing through bird.
I bet you,re glad you came on this blog tonight !!!!!!!
BS