Franklin's gull returns to Chasewater

Sunday 25th July 2010

When the highlight of the weeks Birding is meeting Julian Allen and Steve Richards to share a moment looking at a handful of Lesser Black backed Gulls at Chasewater you know its been a quiet week. Its 'always a pleasure' meeting said gents but theres really nothing moving inland yet. A few Green Sandpipers here and there and the odd Black tailed Godwit and thats about it at the moment. Of course it will liven up but I'm just impatient to see my first Dunlin of the year in Shakespeare's county. When I arrived at Chasewater there was a solitary birder scanning the groups of gulls. The Franklins was amongst a group of Lesser black backs. The view was still fairly distant but with no heat haze it was a slightly better view than last week. The bird hadnt been seen for several days and was presumed to have 'moved on' so news of its reappearance came as a bit of a surprise. The gull was now starting to moult out of breeding plummage. I was chatting to Steve Richards when the Franklin's 'disappeared'. One second it was there the next it had gone, which was unfortunate as other birders were beginning to arrive. Perhaps it will become a regular visitor again, perhaps.