Commonly reported from many sites. There were plenty of three figure counts from a variety of fields and bodies of water. A notable record was of 566 at Stockbridge on 1st January.

The Thornton Moor Reservoir roost contained 2500 on 12th January, 3000 on 31st January and 4000 by 27th February. Lower numbers were reported during the summer months with 800 there on 20th July. Only 360 were roosting on the 1st November but numbers had built to 2000 by early December.

Peaks in the Swinsty roost were 2500 on 27th January and 1000 on 1st January with the Chelker roost containing 1000 birds in both January and November.

There was no forthcoming breeding data for the Barden Moor colony. At Kex Gill all nine nests had gone by the 20th May.

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.

This species was better-recorded than in the preceding year, with some good-sized winter roost numbers, evidence of post-breeding flocks, and some detail on breeding success.

The Swinsty Reservoir roost does not appear to have been checked, so all relevant data comes from Thornton Moor Reservoir, where there were significant counts during the winter periods. January 15th 2000 January 31st 3500 February 5th 2200 February 27th 3400
November 9th 1260 November 21st 2300 November 26th 2500 December 3rd 2000 December 10th 4200 December 11th 4500 December 17th 2000 December 26th & 27th 1500
Post-breeding flocks were seen in numbers mainly in the fields around Cullingworth, as well as Thornton Moor, and up to 870 birds could be seen at the former location on many dates in July, and up to 500 at the latter. In all, throughout the year and at a widespread range of locations, there were 64 counts of more than 100 birds.

The first juvenile birds on dispersal were seen on 25th June, and, thanks to the efforts of the East Dales Ringing Group, some 450 young were ringed at the Upper Barden Reservoir colony.

This species was again quite well-recorded, though numbers were down on the previous year, but there were still 51 counts of more than 100 birds from a wide range of locations across the area. As in 2005, no data was forthcoming from Swinsty Reservoir, formerly (and apparently still) a fruitful winter roost for gulls, and the best-watched roost site was Thornton Moor Reservoir, where there were the following four-figure winter counts:

January 2nd 1500, 22nd 1500, 28th 1250 November 7th 1550 December 1st 2700

However, the highest numbers came from Silsden Floods where there were 3000 birds on 17th December, and Embsay Reservoir, with 3400, six days later. Up to 1200 birds were seen in the fields around Cullingworth over the Christmas period, and this area and Thornton Moor hosted the largest post-breeding flock of some 1000 birds at the end of July.

Definite breeding information was limited to Kex Gill Quarry, where a nest was found, and where up to five juveniles were seen at the end of June and in early July. Whilst no count was available for the well-established colony at Upper Barden Reservoir, one observer considered this to be more extensive than in previous years.

A good number of 125 records came from a range of widespread locations, but the coverage of reservoir winter roosts was almost non-existent, even though, pleasingly, the one at Swinsty was reported for the first time in several years.

This location provided the year’s best count of 3500 birds on 5th January, though, illustrating the vagaries of this activity, only 150 birds were present three days later. In the same month Thornton Moor Reservoir turned up 570, and there were 1800 birds present at the only other count there, in November. The year’s remaining four-figure total was 1000 at Knotford Nook a month later, but there were 44 other counts of more than 100 birds, notably 500 at Cullingworth, Otley Wetland and Strid Wood, 600 at Chelker Reservoir, and 800 at Lindley Wood Reservoir, Silsden Ings, and Cullingworth, again. Not surprisingly, these referred to the first and last two months of the year. Visible migration isn’t often reported for this species, but a number of watches at Caldene Fields in October logged 800 birds.

Breeding information came from Kex Gill Quarry and Barden Moor. At the first, at least five juveniles were seen (presumably reared on nearby moorland), and at the second 12 very young birds were observed at Simm Bottom. However, no colony was found at the usual site of Gill Beck Head on the same moor, but the main one at Upper Barden Reservoir was said to be more extensive than in 2006, and a figure of 2000 birds was mentioned.

There were good counts of between 1,000 and 3,000 birds from Cullingworth, and the reservoirs at Barden, Scargill, Thornton Moor and Swinsty, with the last having up to 4,000 in late January.