Sabines Gull in Hampshire

Wednesday 1st February 2023

There has been a Sabine's Gull at Langstone Harbour in Hampshire since 8th January 2023.  A number of my friends had been down to see it and they had all came back singing it's praises, commentating on how stunning it was.   I finally cracked and headed down to see it for myself today and boy was it worth the long car journey.  The gull showed well, initially on the ground but finally in flight.  

• A 1/4 mile walk east from the car park put me in prime position to see the gull.  It was the closest bird to me, barely 25 metres away, nestled on the ground and oblivious to me and 4 other birders.  

Courtesy of Alan Boddington and Twitter 

• After 20 minutes or so, some dog walkers came by and flushed the bird so we were able to see it flying around for a short while before it dropped to the ground again.

Courtesy of Wez Smith and Twitter

• The strange feature of this sighting is that the Sabine's Gull appears to be still in breeding plumage, particularly with the black head.
• This bird breeds in the Arctic and winters at sea in the Pacific or, in this case, in the Atlantic Ocean so the feeling is that it has met up with a storm, causing it to go off course and make a landing here on the south coast.

2023 species count = 112

•