Stuart's Wildlife Diary: Bonaparte's Gull at Dawlish Warren

Tuesday 13 November 2012

Bonaparte's Gull at Dawlish Warren - third time lucky!

The Bonaparte's gull had been showing very well for a few days - posing for photos, doing a meet and greet, signing autographs - but unfortunately I was working. However I had the 11th November off and so again I caught the train to Dawlish Warren - luckily it only costs £6.70 return at weekends. It was a glorious Autumn day - a cold and frosty start, but warm and sunny and still later, and on arriving at 10:30 I headed off to the seawall to search for my target bird. After an hours searching the only gulls I had seen along the beach were 3 herring gulls loafing around in the hope of getting some food scraps from the day trippers and offshore I saw at least 4 great crested grebes with a female common scoter and a razorbill.

Dawlish Warren

Brent geese and wigeon were seen and heard feeding on the mudflats in the estuary and a pair of stonechats were flycatching from the bramble bushes. A watch and wait at the main pond failed to provide a sight or sound of the bearded tit but I did see 1 or maybe 2 chiffchaff, 2 little grebe, 2 mute swan, a jay, a great spotted woodpecker and a kestrel, and a water rail was heard squealing. A late migrant hawker dragonfly was also seen flying around the pond.

I headed back to the seawall and within a few minutes the Bonaparte's gull was located resting on one of the groynes in the distance and over the next hour it performed amazingly well, flying along the beach right up to the the life guard hut by the seawall before drifting back along the beach towards the estuary mouth. Quite a few birders were present with some getting right down to the surfline to get better views much to the annoyance of some, with claims of harrassement of the bird - I hate any harrassment of wildlife but it was a little odd and misplaced as the gull was totally unperturbed and was even attracted to within a few feet of some photographers who were throwing pieces of bread into the surf! The general public were also very interested as to what we were all looking at with someone thinking we were watching submarines offshore!

"Harrassing" the Bonaparte's Gull !

Bonaparte's Gull

It was a pretty little gull, like a cross between a little gull and a black headed gull with bubble gum pink legs, a black bill, a grey nape and a large black splodge behind the eye. It was smaller than the nearby black headed gulls and it was seen plunging in to the water where it caught and ate a little silver fish. It was quite aggressive at times towards the black headed gulls, crouching down and throwing its head back and calling. And I was very pleased to have finally seen it on my third trip to Dawlish Warren!

I also found a few shells on the beach while waiting for the gull to show and took a few photos to while away some time.