BHG - Back in Spain...

Black-headed Gull back in Spain

On the 11th and 25th November 2024, I received two emails from César Fernández, concerning the return of Black-headed Gull -  2FAA , to the Avilés Estuary in Northern Spain.  A total of five sightings were made by César and associates of his, on the 5th, 11th, 12th, 18th and 22nd November 2024.

 2FAA , was ringed as a chick, on the 4th June 2019, on the island at Inch Island Lake in County Donegal.  All 22 sightings since being ringed, have occurred at the Avilés Estuary.  The first was reported by Mónica Álvarez Couceiro & César Álvarez, on the 13th February 2020, when the then juvenile was spotted 8 months and 9 days after being ringed.  This happened to be the only sighting during the 2019/2020 winter.

The gull was reported for a second time on the 21st January 2021, and since then, there has been multiple sightings each winter.  The full history is given below :-

Unfortunately, there has been no sightings of this gull back in Ireland, although I had a near miss back in September 2024.  A Sam Bayley sent me an email, to say he had spotted -  2FAA  on the 5th September 2024, at Kyrl's Quay in the City of Cork, with the addition of a photo :-

Black-headed Gull  -   2FAA   -  Kyrl's Quay, City of Cork, Co. Cork, Republic of Ireland  (05 Sep 2024)

(Photo Courtesy of Sam Bayley)

Having initially excepted the sighting, I was really delighted that the gull had been spotted back in Ireland, when I realised that the ring was upside down, and the letters should have read upwards and not downwards.  I began to look for the reason why there was two Blue -  2FFA's  on Black-headed Gulls.  Reporting the problem with Sam, he went looking for the gull the next day (6th), and discovered that the ring was Black and not Blue - some anomaly with his camera.

The latest sighting of -  2FAA , takes the duration to 5 years, 5 months and 18 days since being ringed, and the distance from Inch Island Loch to the Avilés Estuary, is 1,279 kms / 794 miles (S).  

My thanks goes to César Fernández for the sighting reports via his associates.  Having asked about photos, all recent sightings were made by the use of binoculars.  I have added a photo which was taken in December 2021, taken by Manuel Marcos and Guillermo Eguidazu.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FAA   -  Avilés Estuary, Avilés, Asturias, Northern Spain  (30 Dec 2021)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 4th June 2019, on Inch Island Lake, Co. Donegal, Republic of Ireland)

(Photo Courtesy of Manuel Marcos and Guillermo Eguidazu)

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