Sunday 9 January 2022

Let's twitch again

After all the chasing after new species for last year's Belgian big year, I decided that, this year, I would only twitch lifers or new birds for my Belgian list.  I didn't expect to be at it again quite so soon but today twitched this female Ring-billed Gull in the province of Antwerp.  Interestingly, she was first discovered to be in Belgium on 27 December without anyone actually seeing her, based on the GPS signal from the transmitter on her back.  It didn't take long for people to find her, though, and she's been entertaining the crowds ever since since.  Today, she was in her favourite field for catching worms, together with a couple of Common Gulls.  She was fitted with the transmitter in Poland and is at least 19 years old!