Bird Notes columnist Julian
Hughes of RSPB Conwy reveals the three rarities spotted in the past week and
outlines where to go birding in the coming days
Andrew Forgrave
23:48, 15 MAY 2017
I was doing a waterbird survey on
Saturday when local birder Marc Hughes sent a photo to my phone from the other
end of RSPB Conwy reserve.
The photo looked good, and in the
flesh it had a lot going for it as a Caspian Gull.
Identification requires a
combination of features, but we remained slightly doubtful because the bill was
not the colour we expected.
It was a big call, as it would
only be the second ever seen in North Wales, and May is a surprising month to
see one.
Marc grabbed a few more photos on
his phone, and I scanned through gull pictures on the internet on mine.
When this chunky seabird spread
its wings and flew, we became even more convinced that this was a Caspian Gull,
but it circled high and disappeared towards Colwyn Bay , having
been seen by just five people.
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