To the coast

A day at the coast today, to see some lingering rarities, and to find some c-ringed gulls. No luck with the Black-throated thrush, but the rest of the birds were more cooperative. I started with a Rough-legged buzzard Buteo lagopus near Oostende, followed by 3 Pale-bellied brent geese Branta bernicla hrota, a nice flock of 12 Greater scaup Aythya marila, a Horned grebe Podiceps auritus, a very nice adult Black brant Branta bernicla nigricans (only the 3rd Belgian record), another Rough-legged buzzard, and finally also one of the wintering White-tailed eagles Haliaeetus albicilla.

I could also read 10 c-rings today, of which 4 were new. Best birds were a Danish Black-headed gull, a new Norwegian Greater black-backed gull and a French Lesser black-backed gull. The other rings were 6 Belgian Herrings and the regular British Herring white A3MM.

adult Black brant, Uitkerkse Polders.

2nd cal Rough-legged buzzard, Oostende.

ad Black-headed gull white PNN (TK Pedersen), Oostende.

ad Herring gull blue MWA.Z (E Stienen), Oostende.

2nd cal Herring gull blue MU.AD (E Stienen), Oostende.

ad Herring gull blue KP.AM (E Stienen), Oostende.

ad Herring gull blue GF.AB (E Stienen), Oostende.

ad Herring gull white A3MM (R Thompson).