Hi,
I was wondering if anyone has a photo of the Black-headed Gull in Darwin? It'd
be useful to show people what it looks like, in case they decide to visit. If
you send it to me I can put it online, or upload it to any one of the existing
places.
Cheers,
Simon.
> From:
> To:
> Date: Sat, 16 Jan 2010 12:42:56 +1100
> Subject: [Birding-Aus] A "shiver" of twitchers see Black-headed Gull in
> Darwin
>
> Dear Birders,
> I was in Darwin on Thursday looking for the Black-headed Gull seen during the
> previous week or so at Stokes Hill wharf. I had arranged to meet Darryel
> Binns, (aka Biggles), who had first found the bird, at 5:00pm at the wharf.
> The wharf is a good place to eat cheaply in Darwin and the Gull seems to know
> this and regularly turns up at around 5:00 to scavenge spare chips!
>
> I arrived a bit early and was greeted by a birder who introduced himself as
> Ian and his wife as Joan sorry I forgot their surnames). He had his bins out
> and was also looking to twitch the gull. Shortly thereafter Biggles and his
> wife Deidre turned up. There were no gulls around of any type though a few
> Crested Terns were flitting around. I went to the end of the wharf and looked
> across to another unconnected wharf and noticed a small flock of terns and
> the heads of 2 gulls. The gulls were tucked in behind a timber edging to the
> wharf. I called the others over and we waited in the hope that the gulls
> would eventually show themselves. Fortunately it was not too long before a
> guy got off one of the tugs moored beside the other wharf and walked along
> the wharf causing the gulls to move. The first gull was clearly a Silver Gull
> and the second had a white head and was too far away to easily see the bill
> in detail. Then it took off and displayed the characteristic white leading
> edges to the wings and the juvenile characteristic of a black band on the
> tail. Both birds took off and roosted out of site so we sat down at a table
> and ordered a few beers and a plate of Barramundi each.
>
> While we waited for the fish Xenia Dennett and Sue Abbotts hove into sight
> also on the twitch. I hailed them and told them of our sighting and after a
> brief unproductive look around they sat down with the rest of the group for a
> chat.
>
> When the meals arrived a few strategically thrown chips soon had both gulls
> and a group of terns competing for the spoils right in front of our table.
> What a wonderful way to twitch a new bird. Sitting with friends on a sunny
> evening that was not too hot enjoying a delicious and very economical meal
> washed down with a good beer while the bird swooped and chased the terns
> right in front of one.
>
> I was a bit surprised that the bird had an all white head. Black-headed Gull,
> in the basic phase both as an adult and a juvenile, typically has a black
> spot in front of the eye and a black ear patch. This bird now has neither
> however the wing pattern, the red bill with a black tip and the tail-band
> suggested a juvenile Black-headed Gull. Biggles advises that the bird did
> have the black facial marks when first seen so it will be very interesting to
> see how the present mould progresses if the bird sticks around in Darwin. I
> presume that the bird is moulting into second winter plumage but has not yet
> progressed to change the tail feathers carrying the juvenile black band.
> "Gulls of Europe, Asia and North America" by Olsen and Larsson says aberrant
> Black-headed Gulls include birds in which have "Winter head white with faint
> grey or pale brown ear-spot or indications of normal pattern; sometimes all
> white".
>
> And why a "shiver" of twitchers. Following the recent thread on twitchers
> there obviously has to be a collective noun for twitchers. Given the origins
> of the term twitcher, deriving from a couple of British birders who chased
> rare birds on a motorbike and arrived shaking with cold, a "shiver" of
> twitchers has a nice ring to it!
> regards
> Peter
> ==========www.birding-aus.org
> birding-aus.blogspot.com
>
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