Kumlein's Gull at Newlyn

A last minute swap of night shifts due to staff sickness meant I had a free day on Thursday 3rd March and so I decided to head off on the train to Penzance and Hayle for a look about, my first visit of this year. I had originally looked at taking the trip on Saturday 5th March but with the trains being replaced by buses beyond St.Austell due to engineering works the Thursday trip seemed a much better idea.

I have been wanting to visit the area since New Year's but work, weather, life, tides and birding malaise have prevented me from going. I had however been watching the bird sighting news with much interest due to all the unusual gulls being seen there, namely Ring-billed, Caspian, Glaucous, Yellow-legged and Kumlein's.

I arrived in Penzance at around 09:45hrs and walked out to Newlyn Harbour, noting 7 Purple Sandpiper and around 30 Sanderling roosting on the rocks at Jubilee Pool along the way. Cormorants were diving for fish offshore and 2 Curlew and a few Oystercatcher were feeding along the beach and there were plenty of Gulls loafing about too - Herring, Black-headed and Great Black-backed.

A look along the very swollen and fast flowing stream heading down into the sea at Newlyn revealed the usual Grey Wagtail but a surprise sighting were 2 Dippers, the first time I have seen them here.

Dippers

Onwards to the Harbour and there were Gulls everywhere and a friendly birder pointed out the adult Kumlein's Gull roosting on the rocks just below the harbour walls. It was tucked up asleep amongst a load of other Gulls but after a short while a Buzzard passing overhead spooked all the Gulls up into the air in a cacophony of noise and the Kumlein's took off and was lost from sight in the melee. The Gulls eventually settled and the Kumlein's fortunately appeared on the quayside where it gave amazingly close views, undisturbed by people or vehicles passing right by it.

Kumlein's Gull

Kumlein's Gull

Kumlein's Gull

Kumlein's Gull

It eventually flew off but was regularly seen throughout the rest of my visit, flying around, sat on the water, sat on the quayside or resting on the fish market roof. A very handsome looking bird indeed and my first in the UK, I've seen them before on a visit to Canada, and I was very pleased to catch up with it and to see it so well. 

An adult Yellow-legged Gull had also been seen that morning but I failed to find it although I did see 4 adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls roosting on the roofs amongst the usual Gulls. Turnstones were as confiding as usual around the quayside and a Shag was diving for fish out on the water. 

Turnstone

I eventually found the reported Red-throated Diver sleeping amongst the boats in the marina, it was startled awake by somebody walking along the pontoon and swam over to the muddy shoreline where it hauled itself out and sat for awhile before returning to the water and having a good wash up and preen. 

Red-throated Diver

Red-throated Diver

Red-throated Diver

It was eventually time to head back to Penzance to catch the train to St.Erth for a look at the Hayle Estuary. On arriving at the causeway bridge the tide was well out but a few Teal were feeding in the shallows and large numbers of Gulls were roosting out on the mudflats further downriver towards the Carnsew Pool and so I headed down there for a better look. 

I set up my scope for a scan of the Gulls but failed to find the reported Ring-billed Gull or Caspian Gull although I did pick up 2 Mediterranean Gulls (adult and 2nd winter birds moulting into summer plumage) and a few Common Gulls amongst the Gulls present. 

There were 17 Grey Plover feeding on the mud on the Carnsew Pool along with Dunlin and Redshank and there were 4 Little Grebe out on the water. Out on the Estuary were 2 Greenshank and 2 pairs of Goosander along with a whistling flock of Wigeon. 

I had seen the wintering Great White Egret roosting on Ryan's Field as I passed by on the train to Penzance and then I had a brief view of it feeding along the shore of the Carnsew Pool but it must have flown off unnoticed as it just seemed to vanish into thin air which was a shame. 

It was soon time to head home to Plymouth, not quite the Gull fest I had hoped for but at least I had connected with the Kumlein's Gull, the one I really had hoped to see.