Bonaparte’s gull becomes a county rarity

As of 1st January 2026, Bonaparte’s Gull has been removed from the British Birds Rarities Committee’s list of species considered and as such any future records within Greater Manchester will now be assessed by its County Rarities Committee.

There remains only once accepted record of Bonaparte’s Gull in the county, at Heaton Park Reservoir on 26th January 2019 and we look forward to the next record with eager anticipation, though hopefully it will hang around enough for more than two people to see it this time!

Ian