KUMLIEN'S GULL at Newgale, Pembrokes

Adult KUMLIEN'S GULL at Newgale

 

Yesterday, from Cornwall, we drove to Pembrokeshire, dipping out on the Thayer's Gull at Burry Holmes on our ways, but we did see an adult Iceland Gull. We arrived at Newgale, mid-afternoon, in the heavy rain. From the road looking down towards the beach were the 3 Glaucous Gulls. We had to move on and decided to stay overnight up road. This morning, I found myself watching 4-500 Black-headed Gulls feeding on the surf with 3 adult and a single 2nd winter Mediterranean Gull at the north end of the beach. I moved further up road, walking south along the beach and stumbled upon the 3 Glaucous Gulls we had yesterday. A near adult and 2 juveniles. A scan through the gulls and I picked up Mushuq Ahmad's ADULT KUMLIEN'S GULL! Nice one Mush! It showed well but flew towards the south of the beach and over the cliffs. Shite! Another scan and this time I picked out a juvenile Iceland Gull a long ways off. Like the Kumlien's, it was gone. I also had to make a move. 

 

Gulls scattered out along the beach. Note 2 Glaucous Gulls in the foreground

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

The 2 juvenile Glaucous Gulls both performed at very close range

 

 

 

  

Near adult Glaucous Gull

 

With one of the juv Glaucs

 

 

 

 

 

Adult KUMLIEN'S GULL

As quick as this juvenile Iceland gull had appeared, it was gone!

 

I returned mid-afternoon in the rain. I thought I would try the Green-winged Teal at the marsh nearby. 2 adult Mediterranean Gulls were already present and the near adult Glaucous Gull came in for 20 minute wash. Right at the back I located the GWT and that's where it stayed, at the back. The rained eased off and I returned to the beach an hour before dark to find the Kumlien's feeding with over 30 kittiwake. Here it showed off, but the light was crap and it started to rain.

Altogether I had Kumlien's, Iceland, 3 Glaucs and 4 Mediterranean Gulls and a distant Green-winged Teal.

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Glaucous Gull by passing an adult Mediterranean Gull on the marsh

Angus & Julia Stone are an Australian brother-sister folk-blues group which formed in 2006. Their parents played as a folk duo before Julia and Angus were born. Angus & Julia Stone have released two studio albums, A Book Like This (8 September 2007), which peaked at No. 6 on the ARIA Albums Chart; and Down the Way (12 March 2010), reached No. 1. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2010 they won five awards from nine nominations: winning 'Album of the Year', 'Best Adult Alternative Album', 'Best Cover Art' and 'Producer of the Year' for Down the Way and 'Single of the Year' for "Big Jet Plane". The siblings have each issued two solo albums with Angus releasing Smoking Gun (under the pseudonym Lady of the Sunshine) in April 2009 and Broken Brights in July 2012; Julia's albums are The Memory Machine (October 2010) and By the Horns (May 2012).