Gull redemption

Today's birding began with a belated visit to Girton Pits to do my WeBS count. Other than 30 Goldeneye on the A1133 Pit, there wasn't much of note at all; the Sailing Lake hardly had a bird on it - I've never seen it so birdless in December. 

Collingham was next, and after an equally quiet start, things picked up when I reached Mons Pool; there was a single large white-headed gull on the water, with a parallel sided bill, beady black eye, mid-grey upperparts and lots of white in the wing - an adult Caspian Gull by the look of it. It slowly drifted right in the strong wind, before flying back to its starting point, showing a nice Caspo wing pattern with greyish tongues extending into limited black on the wing tips, along with a large white tip to P10 and a large white mirror on P9 (I couldn't make out P5 though). It also appeared to be missing at least part of one of it's legs. After a while it flew again, alighting briefly on one of the islands, and it was indeed missing it's right leg from halfway down its tarsus. Before I could grab a photo it then flew north on long, elegant wings, and was lost from view. After friday's debacle it was nice to find this bird!

Aside from the Caspo, there was also a drake Shelduck on Mons Pool, and two Chiffchaffs in the sallows around the southern shore. These were both seen and heard, and were regular Chiffies (not Sibes unfortunately); I thought I'd heard one briefly last visit, so good to confirm their presence; hopefully they'll stick into the new year. Away from Mons, a Green Sand on Ferry Lane Lake and a Redshank on the Silt Lagoon were the pick of the bunch. 

I googled the gull when I got home, and this looks to be the same as a bird nicknamed 'Stumpy' which has been visiting tips in Lincolnshire for several years - see here and here. I guess that on a sunday, with its favourite tip presumably not working, it was on a bit of a wander round.