Unknown sea-bird, Budle Bay, Northumberland (no photo) (1 Viewer)

[lazza]

So...

I called by Budle Bay on my bike yesterday, and among the plethora of Black-headed, Lesser Black-backed and Herring gulls on the mud flats, there was a mystery bird. I only had my cheap bins with me, and no camera, so couldn't take a photo, so I took a few notes.

A gull, notably smaller than the Herring gulls (maybe half-to-two-thirds the size of a single GBB gull that it was next to initially), but almost entirely dark grey/brown in appearance. No discernible paler markings, so a dark belly, breast and head, with even darker wings (at rest). Possibly a slightly darker "mask" around the eyes, and the only time it opened its wings, these too were mostly dark with only a small patch of paler feathers underneath. Legs were very pale.

I'm completely flummoxed, as it seemed to me to be way too dark (and too small) to be a juvenile LBBG, but I can't find anything else to match in my Collins guide. But I know gulls of different ages come in all sorts of plumages, so hope that one of you knowledgeable people can help!

 

[Andy Hurley]

Juv. LBbG (L49-57cm) can be a notably smaller than Herring Gull (L 55-67 cm) and considerably smaller than GBbG (L61-78 cm) (From the Helm Gull guide)
Any signs of local pollution that might affect colour?

I was thinking juv Great Skua , but you know what you are talking about, and the legs are dark

 

[lazza]

hmm... I definitely don't know what I'm talking about!

Hadn't thought about Great skua... maybe too big...? I'm not at all familiar with skuas, so if it could be a skua, would a Pomarine Skua be a possibility? This looks a dead ringer, but I think of skuas as off-shore birds - is there any chance to see one on an estuarine mud flat?!

 

[Larry Sweetland]

- is there any chance to see one on an estuarine mud flat?!

yes, but in my limited experience, gulls tend to avoid them in that situation, so I wouldn't think it would be within a group of them on the deck, but standing on it's own like the unpopular kid in the playground. Happy for someone to correct me on that though.

 

[lazza]

the only gull near it was a great-black backed gull, which it was roosting right next to, to begin with, although a few herring gull drifted by and then it moved towards the other gulls. I got distracted by some waders nearer the road, and when I looked back, it had gone!!

 

[Nutcracker]

Dark morph Arctic Skua is also possible, and more likely than Pom.

Skuas do occasionally stop to rest at Budle Bay, though more usually on the sand spit at the mouth, than further into the bay.

 

[Andy Hurley]

Arctics are smaller too. I don't know the area though.

 

[lazza]

One day I will get the hang of this birding malarkey! Thanks for the pointers....next time I will get it right while I'm actually there looking at the bird!