Observer
Gavin M Haig
Observation Details
Audouin’s Gull, one adult (or possibly 3rd summer) at Seaton Marshes, Devon.
14th August 2007, around 11:10 – 13:30
Observer Information
Found by Steve Waite, also seen by myself, Phil Abbot, Karen Woolley, Kevin Hale, James McCarthy,
Ian McLean and other local birders, plus several Devon birders (perhaps 30-40 observers in total). Also
seen late evening by Dan Pointon and Stuart Piner, who photographed it on the roof of the Lyme Bay
Holiday Camp in Seaton.
Optics used: Nikon ED82A with 25-75X zoom eyepiece.
Range was probably 500m or thereabouts, probably a little more (measured on a map).
I have never before seen Audouin’s Gull, though was aware of what one should look like! Quite familiar
with all our regular gull spp.
Weather Conditions
Strong southerly wind, with occasional driving thin rain/drizzle – visibility moderate, though a little misty.
Description
Steve found the bird whilst scoping through a distant, partially obscured flock of resting gulls – almost
all either Herring, GBB or LBB Gulls, with the odd Black-headed. He quickly phoned Phil Abbot and
myself, and I was first on the scene, arriving at the hide around 11:10. The bird was almost completely
obscured, with just its mantle, wing tips and the back of its head just about on view – certainly not
enough to proclaim its ID. It was then rapidly hidden by other gulls and completely disappeared from
view. Steve could not stay much longer, so I agreed to just keep my eye on the spot while he went to
attend to other things for a while (he was soon able to return and also view the bird from a different
vantage point). After several minutes alone I suddenly realised that I could see it! A white, beady-eyed
head was visible, sporting a strikingly red bill! Eventually the hide began to fill, and many observers
managed to see the bird over the next hour and a half or so. The bird gave mostly brief and partial
views, being obscured either by other gulls or by vegetation in the field between it and us. Eventually,
though, it stood in full view, preening, for at least ten minutes. During this time I took a number of
digiscoped shots with a Fuji finepix F30. The best (and most instructive) are included in this description.
Photographs were also taken by Dave Stone at this time and, at the evening sighting, by Dan Pointon
and Stuart Piner. Their rooftop shots are much closer and better, and will hopefully be included in
Steve’s submission.
Size – an oddly sized gull, obviously smaller than Herring, but not a great deal smaller than LBB Gull.
Structure – mostly hunched in the poor weather, but occasionally stretched neck, when it looked
somewhat sleeker. Fairly hefty bill, and the bill feathering, particularly on the upper mandible, was quite
extensive, giving the bird a long sloping forehead and ‘snouty’ appearance when seen side-on.
Otherwise nothing really notably distinctive about its structure from my views of it.
Plumage – pale grey uppers (mantle, scapulars and coverts), quite uniform, fairly similar shade to
nearby Herring Gulls. As the bird was NW of the hide, in a strong S wind, most of the views were head-
on, at a shallow angle (as the photos indicate). I was unable to see any obvious white tips to the tertials,
ie. a ‘tertial crescent’ – if it had one it was not striking. I could see a little unevenness along the edges of
the coverts, suggesting some wear, and this was later confirmed in Dan Pointon’s and Stuart Piner’s
photos. The underparts had a silky smooth appearance – rather different to the other gulls, almost as if
it had finer, less coarse feathering – and were washed in a very pale grey, up to upper breast level. This
grey wash was subtle, but quite striking and unusual looking. It looked darker on the belly, but not sure
if this was just an effect of shadow. In contrast, the head was a stark, bright white, extremely clean.
What was visible on the closed wing indicated that the primaries were black. When the wings were
shuffled around a little, a long black line could be seen below the coverts, revealing that the longest
visible primary(ies) was(were) black for just about the whole length. No white at all was visible on the
closed wing – the primary tips appeared entirely black.
Flight views – I saw the bird fly, briefly, three times, as it changed position in the flock. None was a
perfect view (being mostly head-on), but I was able to see that the only black in the wing was on the
primaries. It was quite extensive, at least as much or perhaps more than on an adult Herring or
Common Gull, and similarly shaped, but lacking any obvious white – either tips or mirrors. Otherwise
the wing looked entirely grey. I am pretty sure the tail was entirely white.
Bare parts – the eye was small and looked dark. Combined with the clean, white head this gave the
bird its ‘beady-eyed’ appearance. The bill was strikingly red, with a darker, possibly blackish distal third.
It was not a bright red, more a blood red, but extremely noticeable, even at the long range and in the
dull light. I could not detect a pale tip, though I looked for one. Bill structure was quite long and heavy-
ish, certainly would not be described as dainty! I could not see its legs.
Ageing – everything fits adult, except:
1. I cannot rule out that there may have been a very small amount of black elsewhere on the wing
(primary coverts, for example) that would age the bird as a third summer. Such markings may
have been present, but not discernible at the range involved.
2. Lack of white primary tips. However, I have found photos of adults on the internet, taken in late
July and August, where all the white tips are missing – worn off. In Dan and Stuart’s photos the
tip of the longest primary is clearly blunt and worn. Quite likely all the other primaries were in a
similar state.
In summary then, my feeling is that the bird was probably an adult, but I cannot definitely rule out 3 rd
summer. It certainly was no younger, and therefore not the bird recorded at Dungeness back in May.
By far the best views of the bird, in over 2 hours watching, were while it
stood in this spot, preening, for several minutes. Note mantle colour quite
similar to Herring Gull. The soft grey wash on the underparts also obvious
in this photo (cf. adjacent birds). This shot gives some idea of the
challenging viewing conditions – 500+ metres, as well as lots of vegetation,
bits of fence and other gulls to get in the way!
My best shot of the head and bill profile shows the jizz very effectively. Note
long, sloping forehead and extensive feathering on upper mandible, giving
‘snouty’ appearance. Although colour rendition not perfect the deep red
tone of the bill is pretty true to life. Again, grey wash on underparts is very
clear, and pure white head contrasts well.
With a bit of imagination some indication of the wing pattern is visible here.
Black primaries, no white tips. I think it must be the tertials masking the
primaries a bit – no obvious ‘crescent’. Longish black primary visible below
tertials. A little bit of white tail on view here too, I think. Best shot I have of
the wing.