Saturday April 6 - A confusing gull at Earlswood, and plenty of migrants

 This morning I went to Earlswood Lakes to try and see an interesting gull, thought to be a Yellow-legged Gull which was found by Joe Owen yesterday. I found the bird quite quickly, and concluded it was indeed a Yellow-legged Gull. I thought a third calendar year bird, but its dark bill suggests something younger.

Since getting home I have struggled to find an image of YLGull which matches the bird seen. Although the bill looks too broad and chunky for Caspian Gull, to me it has a bit of a Caspian look about it. Perhaps it's one of those Caspian x Herring Gull hybrids. Inevitably my shots aren't top notch, but here they are in case someone wants to make their own mind up.

Here it is chasing a similarly aged Herring Gull

With a similarly aged Lesser Black-backed Gull

Bill looks short and chunky in this shot.

Wing pattern looks like Yellow-legged Gull in this shot, and mantle quite dark

Fortunately most birds are a lot easier to identify. Six Common Sandpipers were newly arrived, and spent most of their time on the rafts. I couldn't get all six in frame, so here's one of them.

Common Sandpiper

My morning's highlight came shortly after thirty or forty hirundines appeared as the wind got up. The hirundines were about 60:40 Sand Martins over Swallows, plus a single House Martin. While I was failing to get a decent shot of any of them I heard a Yellow Wagtail call. Ten seconds later it called again, and I finally got a view of it as it flew north-east up Engine Pool.

Another highlight was bumping into several Earlswood regulars; Joe, Mike, and John S for a natter. 

Changing the subject to moths, I put the trap out last night and caught just 12 moths. It was probably a little too windy. There were however a couple which were new for the year; Brindled Beauties (four), and Lunar Marbled Brown (my first since 2021).

Brindled Beauty

Lunar Marbled Brown on the fence

My attempt to take a picture of the Lunar Marbled Brown on a leaf failed completely as it flew off shortly after being awakened.

PS: The consensus on the Gull seems to be Yellow-legged Gull. Fair enough.