Yellow-legged Gull?

Waders at Passage House this morning included three Greenshank, three Common Sandpipers and four Whimbrel, with a handful of Sandwich Terns, including a couple of juveniles, fishing down river.

This gull caught my eye when it took flight:

The dark wings, inner primaries, and pale white rump looked spot on for Yellow-legged Gull, however, when it landed, the notched tertials and speckling in greater coverts, as well as the rather 'soft' look suddenly left it looking like 'just' a Herring Gull. I'd be grateful for any opinions.

Med Gull influx

At least 23 Mediterranean Gulls - comprising five juveniles, a first-summer and 17+ second-summers and adults - were with the Black-headed Gull flock off Passage House on the falling tide this afternoon. This is probably a record for the Teign, and coincides with a record count this evening on the upper Exe Estuary at Topsham Rec where 62 have been counted. At the other end of the patch Kev recorded two juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls on the Salty.

Juvenile Meds and LRP

A juvenile Little Ringed Plover was a nice surprise to find at Passage House this morning, loosely associating with a group of six Dunlin. A Whimbrel and three Black-tailed Godwit also suggested the beginning of return wader passage.

As the tide rose, Mediterranean Gulls kept appearing in the Black-headed Gull flock, with a total of nine (3 ad., 2 2S, 3 1S and 3 juv.) eventually being seen.

A juvenile Water Rail also busily fed on the edge of the reedbed.

Dunlin and Little Ringed Plover

Mediterranean Gull

Mediterranean Gull and Little Egret

Black-tailed Godwits

Black-tailed Godwits

Curlew

Juvenile Yellow-legged Gull

A classic juvenile Yellow-legged Gull at Passage House was the standout bird of this morning's WeBS count; it may be the first juvenile to be recorded in Devon this year. Three adult Mediterranean Gulls were roosting with c.200 Black-headed Gulls at Flow Point although no terns could be picked out. Other totals included 84 Canada Geese, 38 Mute Swans, 10 Little Egrets, 31 Curlew, 15 Oystercatchers and two Common Sandpipers. Plastic waterfowl included presumably the same Bar-headed Goose seen in April back at Passage House.

Yellow-legged Gull

Late to the party

Arriving at Teignmouth at 9.30am, having seen a surprisingly good haul of seabirds up the coast at Dawlish Warren, I knew that the majority of passage would already have passed. Over the following 1.5 hours, six Balearic Shearwaters, six Arctic Skuas, one Fulmar, 10 'commic' terns, six Common Scoter and a Swift flew south, and a 2nd summer Mediterranean Gull showed close off the seafront.