Good Old Bonaparte's Gull at Oare Marshes

19th July 2023

Oare Marshes, Kent

It was time for a break from the honey buzzard surveys that have dominated my birding recently.  

I accepted an invitation to go to Oare Marshes with Mark and Elizabeth to see the Bonaparte's gull that had returned for the 11th successive year.  

Initially there was no sign of the gull.  After a lovely pub lunch we returned to the fray and we were soon graced by its presence.  

• The first sighting was at high tide, on the East Flood where the bird was tucked in beyond several grassy islands.  It was showing really well as it rested in the shallow waters.  We savoured the views for a lengthy period of time before we set off round the reserve on our main tour.
• Perhaps the best views were on the scrape just before we left.  Elizabeth's photograph captures the scene brilliantly with the bird close to us and exposed on the muddy shores of the River Swale as the tide receded.

courtesy of Elizabeth Young

What a remarkable bird. It must have been blown off course 11 years ago in the USA and finished up on our shores where it has remained ever since.  We can predict its arrival and departure dates almost to the day.  

The only unknown is where on earth the bird goes to for the winter!

2023 species count = 183