Laughing Gull: Another nice bird this time in Staffordshire, a place I've only been once before when twitching the spotted sandpiper back on my birthday in May 2017.
Belvide Reservoir really is a cracking place with well maintained pathways and hides, if I was a local I would most certainly acquire a permit. On both occasions the kind folk who run the reserve have opened it up to non-members for a very reasonable £3.
A bargain!
When I arrived the bird was feeding in the middle of the lake, hawking for insects along with hundreds of aptly named swifts, I was hoping it would have come a little closer and by the time the rain came I had my fill and left.
These medium sized gulls are one of the largest hooded gull species and really stood out against the much smaller local black-headed gulls. Summer plumage laughing gull adults have a black head, broken white eye ring, red bill and legs.
Winter adults have a white head with pale gray streaking on the back, black bill and legs. Immature birds are browner overall and more subtly patterned than adults; they take three years to gain adult plumage.
Seeing this hadsome gull reminded me of my encounter with the New Brighton bird way back in 2015, take a look here:
https://austinmorley.blogspot.com/search/label/Laughing%20Gull
