The very first day of posting
finds me not in “the valley” but on a trip over to Dover harbour after a
hastily arranged early finish from work. The reason for the visit was to see
the second winter Kumlien’s Gull that had taken up residencearound Prince of
wales Pier since Sunday but, only pinned down yesterday. Today, however it had
decided to frequent the Admiralty Pier where it was showing well at close
quarters. The only problem was that it was extremley windy with a stong East North
Easterly that was bitting cold plus the Gull ws alwasys between us and the sun
making photography hard work. There are currently as many as 65 Kumlien’s in
the country and this is the only one in Kent (most are in or around the
Scottish islands). This is the first Kumlien’s Gull that I have ever seen and
although not considered a full species, was an extremely interseting looking
bird and a must for anyone intersted in the larids. Kumlien’s is considered a
stable Hybrid between Thayer’s Gull and Iceland Gull and can vary in
colouration. Thayer’s is a western Canada breeding species whereas Iceland is
more Greenland and eastern Canada but are believed to hybridise at the overlap.
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| 2nd winter Kumlien's Gull |
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| 2nd winter Kumlien's Gull |
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| 2nd winter Kumlien's Gull |
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| 2nd winter Kumlien's Gull |
