Arctic
Skua |
Mediterranean
Gull |
Little
Gull |
Kittiwake |
ARCTIC
SKUA
Stercorarius parasiticus
Rare passage visitor.
An adult pale-morph bird flew north-west past Barden watchpoint in the afternoon of 12th July (AGG et al). This is only the fourth Group record, and the first since 1994.
MEDITERRANEAN
GULL Larus
melanocephalus
Scarce, but annual winter and passage visitor.
There were six records
this year. The first was a colour-ringed adult, originating from France
or Belgium, at Cullingworth on 13th January, followed by a first-winter
bird there the day after. Single adults were also seen at Thornton Moor
Reservoir on 27th January, and Cullingworth on 21st February (KM).
A first-winter bird was observed at Knotford Nook on 31st October (MD,SJ),
and another was seen at Otley Wetland on 11th December(KM).
LITTLE
GULL Larus minutus
Scarce passage visitor.
The only record concerned an adult bird at Yeadon Tarn on 9th May (KM,AGG,SJ).
KITTIWAKE
Rissa tridactyla
Scarce passage and winter visitor.
One was found at Knotford Nook on 13th March (KM, AJ), with another at Elland Gravel Pits on 10th April (HBC). In autumn, a bird was seen heading east from Denholme Clough during a visible migration watch on 12th September (MD, SJ).
BLACK-HEADED
GULL Larus ridibundus
Common resident breeder and abundant passage/winter visitor.
As regular roost watching becomes a thing of the past within the Group, high counts of the gull species are hard to come by, so 800 roosting at Swinsty Reservoir on 1st January was a good way to start the year. Up to 600 birds spent the daytime in the fields at Flappit Spring, Cullingworth, throughout the month, and 1600 were counted at Thornton Moor Reservoir on the 27th. By 14th February, 2000 were loafing in the Cullingworth fields, but the only other noteworthy counts in this period were 250 at Marley Sewage Works in February, and 200 at Elland Gravel Pits in March.
Whilst no specific
breeding data was forthcoming, it is known that breeding again took place
in the large and long-established colony at Upper Barden Reservoir. Juveniles
starting turning up in mid-June, as post-breeding dispersal started, and
the first was seen at Thornton Moor on the 20th. In July and August, numbers
started to build up at this site, with a maximum of c 700 being recorded.
Several triple-figure counts were made during the autumn visible migration
watches at Thornton Moor and Denholme Clough.
The second winter period had a roost count of at least 1800 at Swinsty
on 10th November. By contrast, a count at Thornton Moor produced only
400 in early December, but this had built up to 1200 by the 12th.
COMMON
GULL Larus
canus
Common passage/winter visitor, and erratic breeder.
The first winter period had easily the highest counts, when 1200 were at the roost on Swinsty Reservoir on 1st January, and 1600 later the same month at Thornton Moor Reservoir. The only other four-figure count was also early in the year, when 1000 were in the fields at Cullingworth on 14th February. Lindley Wood Reservoir held 850 birds on 20th January, representing the only other noteworthy count during this period.
Sightings were continuous
throughout the year, albeit in somewhat reduced numbers during the summer,
with Thornton Moor being the main site in May, June and July. Numbers
increased in August, and sightings became more widespread, with, for example,
200 birds heading up the Wharfe Valley at Barden, presumably going to
roost. There were no breeding records this year.
In the second winter period, three-figure counts were made at Otley, Cullingworth,
and Swinsty, with the highest being 400 at the latter site on 14th November.
LESSER
BLACK-BACKED GULL Larus
fuscus
Common passage migrant and occasional winter visitor.
Low numbers were noted in the first winter period, with records coming from a variety of locations, including Otley Wetland and Swinsty Reservoir. The fields around Cullingworth attracted 16 in mid -February, and, by the middle of March, migration was in evidence there and at Thornton Moor Reservoir. At the former location, March numbers peaked at 420 on the 28th, and 350 were present on 6th April.
At Thornton Moor, north-westerly passage was evident on many dates between 20th March and 28th April, with a total of about 760 birds in this period, and a peak of 145 on 28th March. Good numbers continued to be seen in the subsequent four months, most of them at Thornton Moor. Probably in excess of 3000 birds were seen there in all, with daily maxima of 121 in May, 274 in June, 343 in July, and 364 in August. By 11th September, only 32 remained, and after this date only small numbers were noted from a few sites, most frequently as fly-overs.
Records of birds
attributed to the race L.f.intermedius all came from Thornton Moor Reservoir,
where there was one bird on 13th May, three on 29th July, and another
on 4th August.
HERRING
GULL Larus argentatus
Increasingly uncommon passage migrant and winter visitor.
The only roost count of the first winter period produced 18 birds on 1st January at Swinsty Reservoir. After that, there were few double-figure counts until the last quarter of the year. However, the fields at Cullingworth and near Skibeden landfill site, Skipton, helped boost sightings. Counts at the first peaked at 48 on 12th January, while 41 was the maximum at the second. Elsewhere, Thornton Moor Reservoir had 19 birds on 21st March. A maximum of four birds of the nominate race L.a.argentatus were seen at Cullingworth in January.
Traditionally, August
can be a good month for gulls in the recording area, but only a count
of 12 at Thornton Moor on the 7th was noteworthy, though both this location
and Barden had other sightings during the summer months. The year’s
highest count was 60 birds at Thornton Moor in December, when 40 were
also recorded.
YELLOW-LEGGED
GULL Larus cachinnans
Uncommon but regular passage migrant, and occasional winter visitor.
All sightings were at Thornton Moor Reservoir from 29th July to 9th August. A lone adult was found on the 29th, and two the following day. These birds were joined by two first-winters on the 31st, and a single adult was then noted for the first nine days in August (MD, KM et al).
All the birds showed characteristics of the race L.c.michahellis
GREAT
BLACK-BACKED GULL Larus marinus
Increasingly uncommon passage migrant and winter visitor.
The continuing dearth of records of good numbers of birds is purely down to the lack of land-fill sites within the recording area, and this was reflected in the counts during January. At Swinsty Reservoir on the 1st, only eight were present, bettered by 24 at Elland Gravel Pits on the 3rd, and 30 at Skibeden Tip on the 10th. Two days later, 31 were in the fields at Cullingworth, and 14 flew north-east past Barden on the 21st. The only double-figure count in the latter half of the year was at Thornton Moor Reservoir on 25th December, when 40 birds were present.
Whilst these numbers
are all well down on those recorded as recently as six years ago, it should
be stressed they are, in fact, a distinct improvement on the showings
of the past two or three years.