Sunday 1 January 2023

Rosebush and Llys-y-fran (Glaucous and Iceland gulls)

Rosebush reservoir: 7 Tufted duck (6m), pair Goldeneye, single GC grebe, 11 Mallard and a Coot.

Llys-y-fran: A late forming roost tonight, barely 1,000 gulls at 4pm after which everything seemed to come in at once just ahead of a downpour, including a juv Glaucous gull at 4:20pm and a 2w Iceland (quite a pale bird) about 4:30pm. Of the pre 4pm gulls there were at least 30 GBB gulls (20+ adults, 5 first winter, 2 second winter, 3 third winter) - never seen so many here at one time previously. Otherwise the Ring-billxLBB, 5 Yellow-legged gulls and 4 adult Mediterranean gull. By the time the majority of gulls had arrived it was raining steadily and the light had just about gone so given the two white wingers appeared in last 10 minutes of decent light there could well have been others. 4 Goldeneye (3m), 37 Mallard, 10 Greylag. 3 GC grebe and 3 Little grebe.