One of the lovely things about birding is that the different seasons have so much more meaning as they herald the coming and going of different species of birds.
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Always there is something special to look forward to.
Winter has its own delights with flowering gums that attract parrots and nectar eating birds, beautiful tiny robins venturing down from the high country, and vagrant sea birds in the harbour and along the beaches.
The Pacific Gull (Larus pacificus) is one of these occasional visitors, seen in some years during the winter months - and only one or two at that.
This year we have the pleasure of the company of an immature bird first spotted by a young birdwatcher at Nobby’s and subsequently found on Stockton breakwater over several weeks, “chilling” with the Silver Gulls.
The Pacific Gull is the largest gull in the world and is native to the southern and western coasts of Southern Australia, including Tasmania and is rarely seen on the east coast. It prefers sandy coastlines with some rocky outcrops protected from swells such as estuaries, harbours and bays.
They breed in pairs or small colonies on rocky headlands or offshore islands.
The young birds take up to five years to achieve adult colouring.
The adults are white with black wings, yellow legs and an enormous yellow bill, tipped with red. The visiting gull is a young bird and their colouring is quite different, mostly mottled brown with a black-tipped pinkish bill.
These gulls forage along the coast feeding on molluscs, fish and other marine animals and other birds.
They prise molluscs from rocks, steal fish from other birds and scavenge from fishermen. They are renowned for dropping crabs, limpets and other shell fish from a height to smash the shells.
I, like many other club members visited Stockton late one afternoon to see this young gull and was surprised by its size, more noticeable in flight, and its seeming lack of fear of people.
It was standing with the Silver Gulls begging from the fishermen, a very large baby amongst these smaller cousins.
