Sabines Gull at Chew Valley Lake, Somerset (Avon) 19th September 2005
This bird turned up on a day of moderate northerly winds on 16/9/05. The previous 2 days had a few hours of westerly winds in the afternoon of up to 15mph.
The bird spent most of the time that I saw it, feeding on insects on a scummy slick of water off Woodford Lodge. It was associating loosely with Black Headed Gulls. The birds size was noticeable against the Black Headed Gulls being a lot smaller.
I was fortunate enough to join some birders that had arranged a boat out to get some closer views. We circled the bird at a distance of c.15-20 yards. It was not bothered by us at all and continued feeding throughout.