Wot...no bins!

I've seen a good number of Ring-billed Gulls Larus delawarensis in North America but I've only ever managed to see a handful in the UK. Two reasons for this: firstly Ring-billed Gulls are pretty scarce; secondly I'm not much of a gull-watcher. Miserable evenings in the cold, wet, half-light sifting through half a billion Herring Gulls on a midlands reservoir is my notion of Hades. Likewise hanging around stinking land-fill sites trawling through a swirling mix of Black-headed Gulls, Lesser Black-backed Gulls and yet more Herring Gulls in upwards of twenty seven plumage variations leaves me a touch unfazed. So when I heard that a first summer Ring-billed Gull was showing well just twenty minutes from my house I decided to give this one a go.
When I arrived at Melton Mowbray Country Park the weather was just right - sunny, dry, warm and fairly still. I should get great views of this I thought. On opening the boot of the car I realised that I had not brought my bins. Stupid...stupid! A cardinal error. Fortunately my scope was in the car and I had a 400mm lens on my camera so I was not wholly without optics. If the bird is on the water I should be OK as I can scan with the scope. If it's flying about I've got no chance.

1st Summer Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis Melton Mowbray

I set up my scope at the edge of the lake and scanned the few gulls loafing in the middle...Common Gull...Common...Common...Common....Common etc. All bloody Common Gulls. It's at this point that you realise how easy it is to string a bird. The temptation to turn an obvious Common Gull into a stringy Ring-billed was pressing. Bit more of a scan...Common...Common...Black-headed.

1st Summer Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis Melton Mowbray

Then bingo! A big, heavy Common Gull with a massive parallel sided pink bill with a black tip. Ring-billed. It was an aggressive individual; twice attacking passing Common Gulls. It stayed some distance away and I could only take a few record shots of it sat on the water. Ten minutes later it took flight along with the Common Gulls and I had to follow it through the camera lens as I had no chance of staying focused through the scope.

1st Summer Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis Melton Mowbray

I did manage to capture a few images as it was easy to keep on the right bird due to its mangled tail. In flight the bird looked bulkier and longer winged than the accompanying Common Gulls. In particular its head and bill were much stockier.

1st Summer Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis Melton Mowbray

 The pale wing panel on the secondaries was quite an obvious feature although it can't be seen on any of these pretty useless photographs! I couldn't pick out any dark crescents amongst the scapulars or any narrow pale tips to the tertials - as all of the guide books say you should. It is a birding education though looking at the differences between Common and Ring-billed Gulls. Side by side the differences are obvious but I doubt if they would be so with a lone bird.

1st Summer Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis Melton Mowbray

1st Summer Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis Melton Mowbray

 I'll probably have another bash at this bird tomorrow and try for some more worthwhile pictures and this time I'll take my bins!