The Little Gulls Have Arrived

High Rid Reservoir - 20/04/2023

Little Gulls the smallest of gulls seen in the region are only passing through the UK on their way to breeding grounds on the Baltic counties, generally only hanging around for a day before moving on to the next location, if your lucky the next location won't be to far away to giving you another opportunity to grab some shots of these engaging tern like gulls, but you've got to be quick as no sooner as they arrived their gone.

Yesterday I was at Elton Res watching over thirty of these small back wing gulls "dancing" tern like generally keeping out of range in the middle of the reservoir and only coming close on the odd occasion, given I was using a 100-500mm zoom lens on a full frame camera, lets just say I was pretty much disappointed with the results.

It's now the following day and a group of up 35 LG's are on High Rid Reservoir about five miles from Elton and possibly the same gulls, another chance ! Arriving around 4.30pm the gull are cruising up and down the middle of the reservoir...doh ! I'm now using the 500mm with a 1.4 ext and the results looking through the viewer look a much better.

The sun now low in the sky and the light fading as it nearly 6.0pm thinking I've had the best of the action, the gulls have congregated in a group on the water a good time to call time, then all of a sudden for no apparent reason they all take to the air circling for a several minuets in the last of the good light then they depart in the direction of Bury ?

Little Gull

Elton Little Gull

Whilst at Elton photographing the Garganey a Little Gull had been present for a few days which I had attempted to photograph, but due to rain and the gull staying in the middle of the lake opportunities where proving slightly challenging.

With the improving weather for the bank holiday Monday I arrive at Elton expecting to see gulls...but there weren't any !....apart from a single gull at the far end of the reservoir...the Little Gull. 

I make my way to the farm at the far end and set up the camera, the gull seems to have a routine, flying/feeding then resting with the Blacked Headed Gulls. The gull fly's towards me, then suddenly gains height and fly's off in the direction of Withins Reservoir and its gone, I thought thats it, the gull has moved on. 

With a little patience the gull returns, and for the rest of the day and the following day, I make the most of the photo op to record this great bird locally as I'm sure it's only a matter of a very short period of time before the gull moves on to its breeding grounds in Scandinavia/Baltic States.

Interestingly looking at some of the images the gull appears to tuck its feet up into its plumage, looks rather odd as you would think the gull has no feet!

Foot note, 21/04/17...visited Elton this morning and there was no sign of the Little Gull, appears to have moved on

Click image to view......