Two First for Britain on an Essex Landfill


For many winters I had spent a lot of my time on the Landfill at Pitsea, Essex looking at the gulls, generally from the moderate comfort of a Landrover. During this time I had learnt a lot about the identification of Caspian and Yellow-legged Gulls whilst seeing most winters Glaucous and Iceland Gulls. My rarest finds however were three Ring-billed Gulls, now becoming exceptionally rare in the UK at the time I write this so not to be sniffed at, and a couple of Kumliens Gulls. There were a couple of candidate Baltic and American Herring Gulls but nothing confirmed. So whilst I thoroughly enjoyed my time on the tip with the gulls my rares were sadly lacking, until the 6th November 2010. 

On this day I headed away from the gull ringing group to the Commercial Tip site, where large numbers of gulls had been gathered , stopping to check birds close to the dumper truck track along the way sometime between 10am and 10.30am. My first stop was to check out about 200 large gulls on and next to the track as well as on nearby raised mud mounds. Whilst I scanned through the flock ahead of me, through the windscreen, I came across a ‘stand out’ bird that had a very obvious hooded down onto the breast, with a fairly longish primary projection, compared with the nearby Herring Gulls. As I was looking through the windscreen I moved the Landrover to a more user-friendly position so I was no longer looking through glass. The bird really was striking and my initial reaction was “I’ve got a Thayer’s Gull” but then realised in my excitement I was the only person in the Landrover.

I then thought it prudent to get some shots of the bird and rattled off about 10 images. I quickly checked the back of the camera to make sure they were sharp and then returned to looking at it. Although a relatively chunky bird it was still smaller and more neatly proportioned than the nearby Herring Gulls.

As the bird was standing a slight angle towards me, not fully in profile, I decided to move the Landrover and try to get an optimum angle but in doing so I disturbed the bird which flew about 30 metres towards the Commercial tip and dropped out of view down the slope and behind mud mounds. I had put the camera down when I was moving the Landrover so cursed that I didn’t get any shots of the bird in flight, getting the all important wing tip pattern. I did see though that there was very little black in the wing tip with a lot of white/grey, lacking the large black wedge of a Herring Gull. I was now very excited and I really needed to see it again but thought though that would be that.

I drove to an advantage point overlooking as much of the tip face as possible as well as the area below where gulls were loafing and I could not see the bird. However after about 5minutes I relocated it at the back of the ‘mellie’, it again stood out from all gulls around it, even those Herrings which had a similar ‘hoodie’ affect.

I put the camera on the bird, took some washed out images that were not really usable. Whilst I adjusted the settings on the camera the bird turned around to face away from me, I took several shots of it, before after probably a minute it took off and flew down below the tip face. Despite the camera being firmly latched on the bird on the ground it struggled to stay focused on it with all the birds flying around so the only usable images I obtained where when it took off, these fortunately showed the spread wing tip pattern.

I then spent a lot of time going through all of the gulls present on the tip and even returned to the netting area for second catching session of the day in the vain hope it would be caught. It was not and I did not see the bird for the rest of the day.

I reviewed and re-reviewed the images on the back of the camera which really only seemed to support my initial ID however given that this would be a potential first British record, and that there is no general access to the tip, I would need a little time to review literature and seek comments from those with more experience of this species/form before releasing the bird.

The feedback on the bird, such as from Martin Garner and Bruce Mactavish, only strengthen my conviction of the bird as a Thayer’s Gull.

I subsequently submitted the record, along with the images below, full description and feedback from many sources to the BBRC/BOU. It took quite a few years but this bird was accepted as the 1st British Record. Any avid rarity hunting birder would dearly love to find a Bitish First and I had now done this at an unliely location of a landfill, in south Essex and on an unexpected date. 

Sadly my first for Britain didn't last long as it paved the way for other records to be reviewed and another earlier record was subsuequently accepted as the first but at least mine was both the first 'accepted' British record and the first adult, there has now been a second at Minsmere. 

Thayers Gull, adult, Pitsea Tip/Landfill, Essex 6th November 2010





Like buses as they say. A Slaty-backed Gull, a first for Britain, had been found in January at Rainham Landfill, about 20miles away from my gull watching site of Pitsea. As this would also be a world tick for me and being a gull nut I decided to.......go to Pitsea instead. As it turns out it seems to be the right idea as it seems only a very few birders actually might have seen the bird there. I spent a great day on the tip but I remained Slaty-backed Gul-less. 

As it turned out there was no further sign of the bird for the next few weeks, despite locals checking Rainham daily, so it was assumed to have been well ans truly gone. 

3rd February 2011. Initial birding friend Simon had intended on visiting Pitsea Tip with me to look for white-wingers but he wasn't feeling well so decided not to come with me. He however changed his mind mid morning when I found an Iceland Gull. It joined me a little later and we had the Iceland Gull a bit later on. 

Late on the dust trucks stopped coming in and the compactors finished for the day so we had a small window of opportunity to get in nice and close the gulls in days final rubbish frenxy that they tend to do. We would have about half an hour before we would need to off site. 

Whilst scanning a loafing flock of Gulls beyond the main rubbish strewn area I picked up on a distinctive looking dark backed gull which I instantly recognised and shouted to Simon "I've got the f**king Slaty-backed Gull" or words to that effect. Despite not seeing the Raianham bird in the flesh or any Slaty-backed Gulls previously I was well aware of the ID through much research and this was clearly one of these. 

Chaos ensued as I tried to get Simon onto the bird, he had actually been luckily to have seen the bird at Rainham three weeks ago. 

Eventually I got him onto just as it flew. This was panic and verbals were uttered. I leapt out of the Landrover to try and pick it up as it flew over us but I couldn't get onto it. A few minutes later I relocated it in the mellie with many other gulls. This is where common sense was thrown out of the window and instinct came rushing in. I started running towards the mellie in an attempt to get closer and get some all important photos. Simon then uttered the words "why are we not in the landrover". Using the landrover allows one to get very close to the gulls here but it was headless chicken time. 

Even so I managed a few images though the light was terrible as the bird was badly backlit but the photos were good enough to confirm it as the same bird as seen at Rainham. 

With time ticking away we enjoyed the bird as long as we could before we needed to leave, I really didn't want to upset the site management by being here longer than we should be, I didnt want to get banned. 

Much celebration was made and it would go down as one of those most memorable of days. 

But the story doesn't end there. With news of the birds redicsovery birders around the country were trying their best to get acces to the tip, impossible, as well as wanting to know where else to look. As it turned out the bird was seen again at Rainham and it led many a merry dance over the next week or so. 19th February Simon and I were again on Pitsea Tip with much discussion about chances of picking it up here again despite it apparently favouring the Rainham area. News came in at that it had been seen flying over Rainham hortly after 10am so we thought that was that and continued to search for Caspian Gulls and white-wingers. 

By 11am the weather had turned pretty dreadful, fog and rain. However as I scanned the muddy embankment above the main tipping area, infact the same spot where 3 months ago I found Britains first Thayer's Gull, I came across a familier looking gull. "Simon, I've got the Slaty-backed again". This time far calmer than before. But this calm didn't last as I got him on to the bird. More images were taken but again they were in less than favourable condition, on the 3rd February the bird was heavily backlit, today it was tipping it down and the bird looked drenched. 

We could only the asume the sighitng at Rainham less than hour ago was a mis-ID rather than it leaving there and appearing here in such a short period of time. The bird was not around for long before it disappeared. I got news out in the hope someone could pick it up in one of the gull roosts nearby. This, despite the weather, did happen as it was located on Vange Wick in heavily misty conditions. Quiet a few happy birders. 

So to recap. Two firsts for Britain on the same landfill 3 months apart. I'll never do that again, not in Essex anyway.


Slaty-backed Gull, Pitsea Tip/Landfill, Essex 3rd & 19th February 2011








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