A day at the coast.

Yesterday I was able to check a large part of the Belgian beaches for c-ringed gulls, resulting in 23 ring-readings: 21 Herrings, but also my first 2 Lesser black-backed gulls of the year. Highlights were 2 British-ringed birds (both from the North Thames Ringing Group). Frustrating was an unread red ring, most likely a French or British Herring.

Herring gull yellow 7R (R.J. Buijs), my 2 previous obervations of this bird date from 2009.

Herring gull Brussels H900501, also my third observation.

Herring gull blue F.PAD (E. Stienen), also last seen in 2009. Now at least 15 years old!

Herring gull blue LH.AL (E. Stienen), still present in the breeding colony in Zeebrugge.

Herring gull blue MHA.D (E. Stienen), my first observation.

Herring gull blue M.HAJ (E. Stienen), also present in the Zeebrugge-colony.

Herring gull blue M.MAK (E. Stienen), also the first time I see this one.

Herring gull orange RV0T. (North Thames Ringing Group), details awaited.

Herring gull blue S.BAJ (E. Stienen), also a new one.

Herring gull blue SHA.C (E. Stienen), again a new one.

Herring gull blue SZA.L (E. Stienen), present at the colony of Oostende.

Herring gull blue YS.AX (E. Stienen), still hanging around in Nieuwpoort.

Herring gull blue YVA.G (E. Stienen), my first sighting.

Herring gull blue CR.AC (E. Stienen), again a new bird to me.

LBBG blue DN.AU (E. Stienen), my first LBBG of the year.

White-tailed eagle!

Earlier this week, I went to see the White-tailed eagle which had been reported for the past few days. It was sitting in a tree at quite a distance, but off course always a very nice bird to see. And even nicer is hat it is ringed, and the c-ring was read a few days before. It appears to be a Dutch bird, born in Lauwersmeer last summer.
At the coast, Nieuwpoort had just 2 ringed birds, 2 Belgian Herrings already seen there this year. And to end this post, today I saw my first flock of migrating Black-tailed godwits of the year (75 birds), and to my surprise 1 of the birds was c-ringed, my first ring-reading of the limosa-subspecies (I have seen some islandica-birds before in the UK). Let's hope spring migration brings some more nice ring-readings!


Distant White-tailed eagle, De Blankaart (West-Vlaanderen).


Herring gull Brussel H131047, my second observation of this bird.


2nd cy Herring gull blue YS.AX (E. Stienen), my third observation, all at Nieuwpoort IJzermonding.