We were on a mission. I mentioned to my partner that there was a ring-billed gull wintering in Strathclyde Country Park and, without hesitation, he pulled on his trainers and said “ok, let’s go”. He is supportive and long-suffering – and couldn’t think of anywhere better to suggest for our walk – so we made the very short drive down the motorway. I set off around the loch with a spring in my step, eager to spot the gull who was, according to the local birding community on Twitter, “showing well”. To be clear, I am not a twitcher, just a fan of gulls in general, and I knew this unusual sighting would be a memorable one.
We didn’t see it.
In fact, we have been twice around that loch on different days with no luck.
As a consolation prize – for now – please accept some images of a different gull from that first hunt for the elusive ring-billed bird.
The black-headed gull is a fiery understudy. Check out those flaming orangey-red legs and bill with the smoky-tipped wings. Then there is the sooty smudge on its head – a hint of the chocolate hood that will appear when it is ready to breed. It has a flickering motion like a flame disturbed by a breeze, especially when coming into land. When spotted from a distance, my partner will often confuse them with terns, so delicate are they in flight.
And it is not just that the black-headed gull looks like it has been scorched by fire; this species has a fiery personality to match. They are very sociable, and often breed in dense colonies, but don’t be fooled into thinking that their gregarious nature means that it is all sweetness and light with these birds. If you watch them for any length of time, you’ll become used to the incredible noise they make. The calls you hear are akin to a high-pitched scream and rasping laughter. You may also notice a sharp “kek-kek” sound when the bird is feeding.
Herring gulls may be the species that most people associate with hanging around a chip shop, but it is worth keeping your eyes to the sky for black-headed gulls too. They are much more agile and quicker in flight than the larger gulls and, judging by the numbers patrolling the car park of my McDonald’s, can easily outmanoeuvre them when it comes to nabbing chips and raiding bins. Listen out for those feisty screams as they see off the pretenders to their fast-food scavenging throne.
So, when you are out searching for that elusive winter migrant at your local lake, take a minute to appreciate those often overlooked gulls with the blazing bare parts and personality to match. That ring-billed gull can wait.