AUDENSHAW' S SABINE'S SURPRISE

by Ian McKerchar

This article is intended purely to give a very brief overview of the occurrence of the Sabine's Gull at Audenshaw, as the full, detailed, comprehensive account will appear in the 2006 county bird report.

Late on the evening of the 14th of September, Audenshaw regular Paul Wren found an adult Sabine's Gull in the roost there. On that evening 6 people managed to connect with the bird before the light vanished, including the site recorder Roy Travis, who was apparently seen running for the bird! An 'insider' commented "I don't know which was more remarkable, the Sabine's or Roy running!".

The next morning the bird had departed before first light, much to the dismay of the few assembled hopefuls and all assumed it had gone- end of story, but not so! Even more remarkably, Paul yet again found the bird in the roost late that evening, allowing an additional 4 birders to connect with it. Not surprisingly the bird was not present the next evening, causing Greater Manchester's biggest dip for many years.

Where had the bird been in-between Thursday and Friday evening? On some small lake or reservoir somewhere? Perhaps on school playing fields with Black-headed Gulls? Did you look up from your garden at passing Black-heads and see a small gull you muttered "strange" to yourself? We will never know, likewise why such a usually pelagic species occurred in such relatively calm conditions, although this phenomenon has occurred before in the county with the likes of Leach's Petrel. All we do know is this- it was a cracking bird, most of us missed it and well done Paul Wren!

There is only one other record of Sabine's in the county, in 1977, the account of which can be found here, but let us hope it is not another 30 years before the next!

Above: The Audenshaw adult Sabine's, very late on the evening of the 14th, hence the poor quality, but to be fair we're lucky to have this! (Rob Adderley)

Above: Greater Manchester's biggest dip for some time on the 16th, with assembled hopefuls looking in all directions- in vain! (Rob Adderley)

I would like to thank Rob Adderley for providing information on the sighting (especially the bit about Roy running....oops!).

Ian McKerchar, October 2006

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