Author | Lightnews

Calybites @calybites.bsky.social · 16h

Nothing too exciting amongst the many Black-headed Gulls in Shibden Park, Halifax today but BHG 233K did apparently visit Rodley Nature Reserve last winter.

#GullOfTheDay
#GullsOfHalifax #Chroicocephalus #ridibundus
#NWBHGs

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Portland Bird Observatory @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social · 1d

Welcome amelioration in the weather allowed for fuller ringing activities at the Bill today. 43 birds trapped; 17 of the new birds were Redpolls and the one control was another Redpoll that had first been ringed at Thorpe Marsh, South Yorkshire, on 26th September - nice!

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Calybites @calybites.bsky.social · 1d

The 1cy Black-headed Gull ringed as a nestling in June by Merseyside Ringing Group at Shotton Steel Works, Flintshire is still at Yeadon Tarn, Leeds where it has resided for at least three weeks.

#GullsOfShotton 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿
#GullsOfYeadon #2440 #VC64
#Chroicocephalus #ridibundus

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Calybites @calybites.bsky.social · 3d

Black-headed Gull 239J is back at Yeadon Tarn. 😀
There were no summer sightings this year but in 2024 it visited Nordjylland, Denmark, so it is probably safe to assume that it has been there again.
🇩🇰 BHGs are creatures of habit! 🇩🇰

#GullOfTheDay #GullsOfYeadon #Chroicocephalus #ridibundus
#NWBHGs

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Calybites @calybites.bsky.social · 8d

The Black-headed Gull TCML seen in Shibden Park, Halifax, on 5th September 2025 was ringed (as an adult) in Poland on 28 June. 🇵🇱
#GullsOfHalifax
#Chroicocephalus #ridibundus

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Calybites @calybites.bsky.social · 13d

One of the Black-headed Gulls at Yeadon Tarn has a metal leg ring .
EZ91809 was ringed as a nestling in 2021 on Dallow Moor, Nidderdale, North Yorkshire. 🇬🇧
#GullOfTheDay #GullsOfYeadon #Chroicocephalus #ridibundus

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Calybites @calybites.bsky.social · 14d

Down but not out! The parasitised Luffia lapidella larva is not dead after all. After five days of inactivity it has “done a Lazarus” and resumed feeding on lichen.
This is a great example of a larva aeterna and it might be some time before the culprit reveals itself.
#Psychidae #VC64 #lapidella

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Calybites @calybites.bsky.social · 15d

Colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls are continuing to return to Otley in dribs and drabs with three new ones this week.
Many will still be “on holiday” in the countries surrounding the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.
🇸🇪 🇳🇴 🇫🇮 🇩🇰 🇱🇻 🇵🇱 🇧🇾 🇩🇪 🇳🇱 🇧🇪
Please send them back now! 😀

#Chroicocephalus #ridibundus
#NWBHGs

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Calybites @calybites.bsky.social · 17d

The parasitised Luffia lapidella larva hasn’t moved since Friday 10th October.
Presumably the moth caterpillar has now been killed by the parasitoid larva and we now have to wait until the culprit emerges as an adult wasp.
#Baildon #VC64 #Psychidae

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Calybites @calybites.bsky.social · 19d

Can I blame #StormAmy for the Shotton-born BHG 2440 that turned up at Yeadon Tarn this week? 😀

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Calybites @calybites.bsky.social · 19d

Peter Coffey (Merseyside Ringing Group) says 2440 is unusual for its direction of travel (NE). The only other Shotton-born BHG moving in a NE direction was one to Ashworth Moor, Rochdale.

Most go to Ireland, mainly east coast and Tralee/Killarney 🇮🇪 but occasionally France (Brittany, Finistere). 🇫🇷

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Calybites @calybites.bsky.social · 22d

BTO wins! 🏆
As suspected the Yeadon Tarn colour-ringed 1 cy Black-headed Gull is from the old steel works in Flintshire 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿
I wonder how often the Shotton gulls fly North East? Does anybody in the Merseyside Ringing Group know?

#GullOfTheWeek #GullsOfYeadon
#Chroicocephalus #ridibundus

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Calybites @calybites.bsky.social · 22d

BTO wins! 🏆
As suspected the Yeadon Tarn colour-ringed 1 cy Black-headed Gull is from the old steel works in Flintshire 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿
I wonder how often the Shotton gulls fly North East? Does anybody in the Merseyside Ringing Group know?

#GullOfTheWeek #GullsOfYeadon
#Chroicocephalus #ridibundus

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Calybites @calybites.bsky.social · 22d

Speckled Wood caterpillars often appear in the wild grasses that I allow to grow in a sheltered west-facing position on top of our old coal bunker. It looks a bit messy but the butterflies seem to like it!
The grass is mostly cock’s-foot I think 🤔
#CaterpilarOfTheDay
#Parage #Dactylis #VC64

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Calybites @calybites.bsky.social · 22d

The colour-ringed 1cy BHG is still at Yeadon Tarn and I have now managed to get the number on the metal ring and reported it to the BTO 😀

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Calybites @calybites.bsky.social · 24d

Black-headed Gull 2440 was at Yeadon Tarn, Leeds, today.
It was probably ringed by the Merseyside Ringing Group and further details will hopefully follow.
Maybe blown in this direction by Storm Amy? 🤔
I have emailed Peter Coffey.

#GullOfTheDay #GullsOfYeadon
#Chroicocephalus #ridibundus #StormAmy

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Damian Money @damianmoney.bsky.social · 25d

Two colour ringed Black-headed Gulls from Norway at Redcar this morning, JMH5 ringed on 10.08.2019 at Frognerkilen, Oslo and J3103 ringed on 10.06.2024 at Langøen, Råde, Østfold. @teesbirds.bsky.social @nybirdnews.bsky.social @northyorksbirds.bsky.social

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Calybites @calybites.bsky.social · 25d

Poinsettia Project 2025
Time to turn the leaves red! 🍂

Euphorbia pulcherrima is a commercially important flowering plant species of the diverse spurge family Euphorbiaceae. Indigenous to Mexico and Central America.

#Poinsettia #Euphorbiaceae

Calybites @calybites.bsky.social · 27d

The presumably parasitised Luffia lapidella larva (collected from a Baildon sycamore trunk) is still feeding on the Lecanora lichen. It is now well into its second Autumn.
Hopefully an interesting parasitoid wasp will emerge from this larva aeterna in a few weeks.
#Psychidae #ferchaultella #VC64

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Calybites @calybites.bsky.social · 29d

Welcome back Black-headed Gull 228K who has finally returned to Shibden Park, Halifax, after being spotted in Sweden LAST year then going AWOL for almost 18 months!
🇸🇪 🇸🇪 🇸🇪

#GullOfTheDay #GullsOfHalifax #Chroicocephalus #ridibundus
#NWBHGs

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Harry Kuipers @harrykuipers.bsky.social · Sep 17

Once again, the combination of a quiet area and the abundance of Great Green Grasshopers in Groningen, NL has proven crucial for the world's northernmost Gull-billed Tern population. Photos: Adult L01 feeding young T35 a grasshopper and 24 Gull-billed Terns in flight. (5/5)

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Calybites @calybites.bsky.social · Sep 20

Still trying to get ringing information from Poland 🇵🇱
If nothing comes back by next weekend does anybody know of any ringers in Poland that might be involved?
@kanebrides.bsky.social @bh-wlbirding.bsky.social @harrykuipers.bsky.social
#Chroicocephalus #ridibundus

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LeedsBirder @leedsbirder.bsky.social · Sep 14

Red-necked Phalarope at #migfest @spurnbirdobs.bsky.social today. #phonescoping #kowa #ukbirds #yorkshirebirding #birds

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Calybites @calybites.bsky.social · Sep 8

Black-headed Gulls in Roundhay Park, Leeds, today included visitors from Riga, Latvia 🇱🇻 and St Petersburg, Russia 🇷🇺
Both are would be contenders for “Gull of the day”
#GullOfTheDay #GullsOfRoundhay
#Chroicocephalus #ridibundus
#NWBHGs #235J #236J #VC64

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Calybites @calybites.bsky.social · Sep 7

Hopefully an interesting parasitoid will emerge from this larva aeterna.
If it is a Diadegma it will likely appear in October. Males tend to emerge in the first third of Oct whilst females emerge in the second third (before the 20th).
#Ichneumonidae
#Campopleginae #Diadegma
@gavinbroad.bsky.social

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