A Southern Surprise: Britain’s First Cape Gull at Grafham Water-An unexpected visitor from the southern hemisphere lands in Cambridgeshire

News broke early this morning that a Cape Gull had been identified at Grafham Water in Cambridgeshire. A subspecies of the Kelp Gull, Larus dominicanus vetula, this bird should have been summering off the coasts of southern Africa, not perched on a freshwater lake in the middle of England.

I eventually got word of the bird, thanks to Dan Pointon, while working in the garden a few hours later. I dropped everything, scrambled into action, and arrived on site at 15:45. The bird was already on view. There it was, calmly feeding alongside five Yellow-legged Gulls. The Cape Gull is deceptively similar to our familiar British gulls; in fact, it had apparently been present for a week, overlooked due to its subtle distinctions from other large gulls.

Britain's first Cape Gull 

When an adult Kelp Gull appeared among Yellow-legged Gulls at Paris Zoo in January 1995, the European birding scene was collectively stunned. How could a potential first for the region show up so far north and in such an unexpected location? Questions of escape or captivity were raised, yet no evidence could confirm either scenario. Despite the improbable circumstances, the record was accepted—proving that seabirds occasionally take astonishing detours.

Article from the Daily Mail today regarding Britain's first Cape Gull

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Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus is a familiar species throughout the maritime Southern Hemisphere, with five recognised subspecies. The nominate L. dominicanus is widespread along the coasts of South America (including South Georgia and other subantarctic islands) and Australasia. Other subspecies include judithae of the subantarctic islands of the Indian Ocean, melisandae of Madagascar, austrinus of the Antarctic, and vetula of southern Africa. It is this southern African form, vetula, that accounts for all accepted Kelp Gull records in the Western Palearctic. Its presence in Britain is therefore exceedingly rare—a true vagrant, crossing thousands of miles to grace a freshwater English reservoir.

The twitch itself was a delight. Beyond the thrill of the bird, it was wonderful to catch up with familiar faces not seen in years. The Cape Gull remained on site long enough for everyone to enjoy a prolonged view, cementing its place as a landmark tick for British birding.

A surreal, southern-hemisphere visitor in the heart of Cambridgeshire—a reminder that sometimes birding offers the unexpected in the most unlikely places.