Mediterranean Gulls on the Camel estuary 2022.

 

346N

Meet Med Gull 346N first ringed as a >3calendar year bird on 21/05/2018 at Antwerpen; Flanders; BELGIUM.

 

346N has come back to the Camel estuary every year since in late summer and into the autumn.

It wintered in the salinas or saltpans of Tavira; Faro Portugal on 22/11/2019.

It also revisited its birthplace at Antwerpen on 5/03/2021.

So much is known about this bird simply by people reporting the colour ring to the Med Gull ringing project.

It is known now that Med gulls have a 2 stage migration where birds leave their breeding grounds in Western Europe and head west and appear with us on the Camel estuary and of course many other areas locally. They then stay from July into October before migrating again south down to Portugal or Spain until finally returning north to their breeding grounds in February or March.

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R9JC

 

This is R9JC a juvenile Med gull ringed as a chick in the nest on 25/06/2022 at the Polder de Sebastopol; Barbâtre; Vendée; Pays de la Loire; France.

This was the first sighting since it's ringing when I photographed it on  30/08/2022 Porthilly, Camel Estuary; St Minver; Cornwall; England; United Kingdom 50,32N 4,55W Langdon, Adrian.

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RV6K

 

This is RV6K ringed as a chick at the nest on 01/07/2017 at Polder de Sebastopol; Barbâtre; Vendée; Pays de la Loire; France 46,56N 2,09W.

RV6K has visited the Camel estuary every year since 2017 and has wintered both in Spain and Portugal in that time along with regular visits back to the breeding grounds in France where it was born.

Here are just a few highlights of its lifetime travels below.......

12/08/2017 Le Gourinet; Plozévet; Finistère; Bretagne; France 47,57N 4,24W

13/09/2017 Camel estuary; Padstow; Cornwall; England; United Kingdom 50,32N 4,55W

02/02/2018 Azurara; Vila do Conde; Porto; ; Portugal 41,21N 8,44W

18/06/2018 ; Henvic; Finistère; Bretagne; France 48,39N 3,57W

11/08/2018 Camel estuary; Padstow; Cornwall; England; United Kingdom 50,32N 4,55W

14/08/2018 Harlyn Bay; St Merryn; Cornwall; England; United Kingdom 50,32N 5W

24/08/2018 Lanneunet; Plouénan; Finistère; Bretagne; France 48,37N 3,57W

14/10/2018 Camel estuary; Padstow; Cornwall; England; United Kingdom 50,32N 4,55W

29/03/2019 Polder de Sebastopol; Barbâtre; Vendée; Pays de la Loire; France 46,56N 2,09W

17/09/2019 plage de Porsmilin; Locmaria-Plouzané; Finistère; Bretagne; France 48,22N 4,41W

07/10/2019 Camel estuary; Padstow; Cornwall; England; United Kingdom 50,32N 4,55W

01/08/2020 Camel estuary; Padstow; Cornwall; England; United Kingdom 50,32N 4,55W

28/10/2020 Camel estuary; Padstow; Cornwall; England; United Kingdom 50,32N 4,55W

02/02/2021 River Piles; Gijón; Asturias; Asturias; SPAIN 43,32N 5,39W

02/02/2021 Playa San Lorenzo; Gijón; Asturias; Asturias; SPAIN 43,32N 5,39W

11/02/2021 Port Atlantique La Rochelle; La Rochelle; Charente-Maritime; Nouvelle-Aquitaine; France
46,09N 1,14W

26/03/2021 Polder de Sebastopol; Barbâtre; Vendée; Pays de la Loire; France 46,56N 2,09W

26/07/2021 Camel estuary; Padstow; Cornwall; England; United Kingdom 50,32N 4,55W

05/01/2022 Playa San Lorenzo; Gijón; Asturias; Asturias; SPAIN 43,32N 5,39W

27/03/2022 les Monteaux; Vivy; Maine-et-Loire; Pays de la Loire; France 47,2N 0,06W female parading with male adult unringed

30/08/2022 Porthilly, Camel Estuary; St Minver; Cornwall; England; United Kingdom 50,32N 4,55W

where I photographed it.

In total to date there have been 61 sightings of RV6K. 

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I have the history of many more of these birds but I'll just show the photos, all of which I photographed from my kayak by drifting past them as they perch on the oyster floats at Porthilly Rock.

32KP

34LR

AK.AN

 

R6HV

R9JC

R0RR

Oyster floats at Porthilly Rock, Cornwall.

Amongst the oyster floats in the kayak

Cornwall: Choughs, Beavers & Cetaceans. A Naturetrek tour July 2022.

With barely 24hours notice I was asked to lead a Naturetrek tour in my home county of Cornwall due to the assigned leader contracting Covid.

Fortunately I was familiar with all of the places on the itinerary and was excited to show our clients some of the best wildlife & flora in the UK.

Here is a set of photos from each day so that my new found friends can view and enjoy.

Day 2. Lizard Point to Kynance Cove.

The old lifeboat slipway at the Lizard

Grey Seal with a Ballan Wrasse

Grey Seal with a Ballan Wrasse

Grey Seal with a Ballan Wrasse

 

Hottentot Fig

Restharrow

Ladies Bedstraw

Sea Aster

Dyers Greenweed

Red-billed Chough

Red-billed Chough

Red-billed Chough

Sea Carrot

Rock Samphire

Bloody Cranesbill

Day 3. The Cornwall Beaver Project. Ladock, Truro,

 

Black tailed Skimmer Dragonfly

Beaver pond

Beaver dam

Chicory

Azure Damselfly

Ringlet Butterfly

Tree Bumblebees taken over a nestbox

European Beaver

European Beaver

European Beaver

European Beaver

Beaver lodge

Bevaer

Signs of Beaver activity

Signs of Beaver activity

Day 4. Boat trip in Falmouth Bay and beyond.

 

Sandwich Tern

Sandwich Terns

Northern Gannet

Manx Shearwater

Manx Shearwaters

Northern Gannet

Common Dolphins

Common Dolphins

Common Dolphins

Common Dolphin

Common Dolphin

1st Summer Northern Gannet

Manx Shearwater

 

Day 5. Windmill Farm, Cornwall Wildlife Trust Reserve. The Lizard.

 

Common Toad

Meadow Grasshopper

Male Adder

Herring Gull at the main pool

Dog Rose

Hoverfly

Greater Birds-foot Trefoil

5 spot Burnet Moth

Marsh Woundwort

Lesser Water Plantain

Yellow Bartsia

Fresh Cornish Pasties for lunch!