Christmas birding 23rd - 25th Dec

More birding over the past couple of days. On 23rd, I went to Dogsthorpe Tip for a few hours. Amongst the many thousands of gulls present, there was a 1st-winter Caspian Gull (which I had on the tip briefly about 10:30), and then this bird:






To me, this a fairly 'good' Glaucous x Herring Gull hybrid, and has arrived with large numbers of argentatus which look like they have come from a long way north. In my opinion, there are a few features that rule out the leucistic Herring Gull theory:

• boldly-patterned greater coverts and tertials
• extensive pale chevrons on primaries
• scapular pattern lacks obvious chevrons
• tail band is weak and broken
  
• head and bill structure, at times, looking quite Glaucous-like
• 'broken' eyering (see final picture)
  

BLGP and Baston Fen continue to hold 8 Bewick's and 3 Whooper Swans:



... and were joined by two lovely adult European White-fronted Geese, one of which is below:



All the wildfowl above are still present as of today (25th December), as well as good numbers of Wigeon and the odd raptor and wader.

Season's greeting to all.