Glaucous Gull

Despite enjoying GGO and Piney today I will focus on something else.

Normally, I resort to gulls in times of despair but a 1^st winter Glaucous Gull only 20 minutes from Oslo was tempting enough to drag myself and Anders away from the goodies in Oslo. I discovered that I had again left the battery for the bazooka in the charger at home but the bird was so close that the superzoom coped admirably. The bird was so confiding that it was an extremely present surprise to see that it had not been blinged by the Rare Gull Rapid Response Ringing Force and long may it remain that lucky. The bird was a small individual (for the species) and therefore most likely a female.

A visit to Østensjøvannet yesterday revealed the hybrid Mallard x Wigeon displaying without any females seeming interested but the male Wigeon there (who is not his farther as both are ringed and we know there ages) has definitely pulled a female Mallard so there may be more hybrids to come. I should have videoed the display of the hybrid because it was very different to what you see from Mallards.

1st winter Glaucous Gull (polarmåke) which preferred the company of Mallards to that of some nearby Herring Gulls

male Mallard x Wigeon Hybrid alongside a male Wigeon and some Mallards

here the head was thrown back in display