Hope this is of interest to the ringers. Whilst testing a lens in the
garden, (Milford Haven) I took a few shots of the Gulls and noticed this chap was ringed. I
can make out W:978 on one of them.
(John Freeman)
(John Freeman)
W:978 (GV22428) was ringed as a breeding adult here on Skokholm
Island on 19th May last year. It was nesting at Seal Bay. This is the
first time that it has been seen away from the Island and is only the
third of our breeding Herring Gulls to be spotted anywhere other than on
Skokholm.
These birds are being ringed as an extension of a Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales project which has been running on Skomer for many years. It reveals what proportion of gulls survive between breeding seasons and how this changes over time (changes in food availability being one major factor influencing survival). We can typically expect well over 80% of birds to survive the winter.
For more information on Skokholm's seabirds and our monitoring work the 2017 Seabird Report can be downloaded for free here:
Thank you again for the record and for any further details
All the best
Rich and Giselle