Caspian Confirmed!

After a number of false starts with a hybrid and unconfirmed reports, this smart Caspian Gull appeared with the gull roost yesterday afternoon.  A new bird for the site taking the all-time count to 157 and the site year list to 129.

A 3rd calendar year bird it didn't hang around long but did give great views while it was on the pit, showing its black eye, pale green/yellow legs, distinctive beak and grey mantle - just a shade darker than the nearby Herring Gulls.

The UK is at the western edge of its range which it has been expanding outwards from its main breeding areas in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.  While still a scarce bird in Herts it is a regular visitor to gull roosts and now more frequently encountered than Great Black-backed Gulls.