Please keep a note of the Meds

Their increasingly early arrival, in increasingly larger numbers, raises interesting questions on inland Mediterranean Gulls at this time (and one poor birder in particular has been badgered a lot on the subject a lot of late, you know who you are, so sorry!). Presence inland can mean thoughts sometimes turn to potential evidence of an overland passage. When I worked in East Sussex, the thought certainly crossed my mind, when birds moved north on February/March mornings. However, my home there was on a well-used gull flightline for 000's of birds returning to roost in Rye Bay, and numbers always came back south at dusk.

Of late this birding chum has been finding up to three figure counts mid-county, around the Harrietsham area. That is just some fifteen kilometres due south of Lower Halstow as the gull flies. Studies quoted in 'B.W.P.' state this species can routinely fly 20 to 30 kilometres to feed. When I have watched 'inland' from the northern slopes of the North Downs, gull movements are routine in the hour around dawn, as many Black-headed and Herring Gulls take a flightpath south towards the Weald, with Mediterranean Gulls among them. At this time of year Med Gull foraging changes from coastal to onshore, mainly on short turf/ploughed fields for insects, so the better areas could attract routine numbers- if not yet busy nesting, why not spend time travelling that little bit further for the best feeding?

During the course of the day a steady stream of birds arrive back high at spots such as Lower Halstow. That too could fit with inland feeding, individual birds making their way once having had their fill. Of course, you could also say birds migrating overland are doing the same.

The question then is whether 'his' birds arrive from the north. So I really now need ask my chum to get up early sometime and check. I've not dared push him on that until now; sorry sir, when I mentioned recently I'd be blogging something on your Meds I bet you didn't suss a request for up and out before the crack of dawn coming(!)

What I had already suggested we both look for on mid-morning strolls was colour-ringed birds. The coastal route along the Channel is well-established thanks to colour-reading in places such as the Rye Bay area. (Details on the specific colours used on UK and continental Mediterranean Gulls can be found here.) Few colour-rings from foreign schemes get seen around the Medway. Why should birds following the coast detour through Kent into the estuary? Many are, after all, en route for continental breeding sites. Similarly few colour-rings in these growing inland flocks might just suggest these could be 'local' birds settling back into their pre-breeding behaviour. Of course, the breeding season doesn't starts for a while yet, and there is every possibility many birds in North/central Kent right now might still be moving on to breed, perhaps further north in UK, perhaps over on the continent.

Mixed Mediterranean/Black-headed Gull flock feeding inland, June 2015

So much to learn. The poor lad hadn't realised this would be turning into a mission. I think I'd better go drop him a direct message(!)