Sabine's Gull, Carr Vale Nature Reserve

I went to Carr Vale Nature Reserve in Derbyshire today for a look at the adult Sabine's gull which has taken up residence there over the past few days, bringing back memories of last summers bird on Pennington Flash.  

Notice the dark marks on the birds neck. These are also apparent on the photo below of the Pennington Flash bird. I'd forgotten that the Pennington bird showed this same feature until I looked again at the photos today.

This photo and the next are the Pennington Flash bird, taken on 11th August 2015, nearly four weeks later than todays bird. You can really see how much more complete the hood is, but you can also see that the yellow tip to the bill is not as bright as on the photos of the Derbyshire bird today. I think it's the lack of brightness of the bill which makes the Pennington Flash bird a second summer rather than and adult, or at least that's what some people were saying.

The Carr Vale bird is a great bird and well worth a look, but these photos just go to show what a cracker the Pennington bird was, especially when you consider how close it came at times, once it was so close that I could have touched it if I'd reached out and I even managed a recording of its call! The Pennington bird was a much smarter looking individual.

Year: 240 (Sabine's gull)