The One-Bird Theory

Two days after the Cogden Caspian Gull, a similarly striking individual was briefly present on Portland Bill. Even though very little of it is visible in the published photo, I got all sorts of déjà vu. Surely this was the Cogden bird? Hopefully the photographer Matt Ames won't mind me using his image...

Making allowances for the woeful lack of resolution in my massively cropped photos, there is enough here to convince me that the Portland Casp is the Cogden bird. (Portland Casp photo by Matt Ames)

The Portland Caspian Gull was sitting down and relaxed, so its feathers were arranged very differently to those of the standing bird at Cogden. To be honest I struggled to find matching feathers among what was on view, but I am fairly confident about a couple at least...

Shame the tertials and greater coverts aren't visible, but I am happy enough that these two feathers are a match. (Portland Casp photo by Matt Ames)

I'm not sure why I am struggling to confidently match any of the scapulars. Is it the poor quality of my photos? The bird's posture? Or maybe the bird has moulted one or two juv scaps in the interim? Or perhaps it really is a different bird?! Re the latter: obviously I don't think so!

Anyway, this isn't the first time I have seen a Caspian Gull that was subsequently (or previously) recorded elsewhere. I can think of at least three others. One of them was initially on Portland in October 2012, then on the Axe Estuary at Seaton in December.

Before I leave gulls, this smart Med Gull was on Cogden Beach this afternoon, and the presence of a ring encouraged me to photograph it...

Note the metal ring on its right leg. Shame there is no colour ring!

All I can make out is 'ARNHEM' and '3.742'

Turns out this was enough detail for Mike Morse to recognise it as a Dutch-ringed bird that he photographed back in August, and previously in July last year. He is still waiting to hear back on the bird's history.

Other recent stuff...

Highlight of an early visit to Cogden on Monday...

Spot the three Sanderlings.

There weren't many gulls on the beach, but one looked vaguely interesting so I got the camera out and zoomed up to 2000mm for a closer look. It was just a Herring Gull, but while peering through the camera I spied three little waders scuttling among the gulls. I hadn't seen them at all with bins! I didn't fancy the shingle that morning, so just took a couple of super-long range photos. Well, at least you can see what they are.

On Tuesday, Mike let me know that a roosting Nightjar he had discovered at Cogden the previous day was still present. It was in a restricted area but Mike kindly arranged access for me, so I popped along after work. I haven't seen a Nightjar in daylight for decades...

Roosting Nightjar doing 'bit of log'.

I arrived at the same time as Adam, the local farmer. The bird was closer to the viewing spot than I expected but seemed very relaxed, and as you can see in the above photo its eye is barely a slit. However, I think it was well aware of our presence. The next photo was taken just after our arrival. The bird's eye is definitely open a touch - there is a little glint there...

Nightjar, possibly not quite as roosty as it looks.

Finally...

Very few migrants at Cogden this afternoon, but at least there was a Whinchat.

A remarkably pale Buzzard, on the road between Seaton and Lyme Regis.