Cape Gull(Kelp Gull)-Grafham Water,Cambridgeshire-07/08/2022

News broke this morning that a Cape gull had been identified at Grafham water in Cambridgeshire.A subspecies of the Kelp gull,also known as Cape gull(Larus dominicanus vetula),this bird should have be summering in Southern Africa not in the middle of England on a freshwater lake.

I eventually got word of the bird,thanks to Dan pointon as I was working outside in the garden a few hours later.I dropped everything that I was doing and got myself sorted out and headed south arriving on site at 15.45.

The bird was on view when I arrived just stood there eating a trout with 5 Yellow legged gulls.The Cape gull looks very similar to the UK's own common species-so much so that the bird was actually believed to have arrived a week ago,but was overlooked by birders who missed its subtle distinctions.

Britains first Cape Gull 

When an adult Kelp gull was found among Yellow legged gulls at Paris Zoo in January 1995, the European birding scene was unanimously dumbfounded–how could it be that a potential first for the region had appeared so far north and at such an unexpected location?Unsurprisingly, the possibility of an escaped bird was mooted,but no evidence could be found to confirm that and despite the seemingly impossible circumstances,it was accepted as a first for France and the Western Palearctic.

Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus is a familiar bird in maritime Southern Hemisphere,with five recognised subspecies.Nominate L d dominicanus is the most widespread,being found around 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 and austrinus of the Antarctic, but it is vetula of southern Africa which accounts for all accepted Kelp Gull records in the WP

Arcticle from the daily mail today regarding Britains first Cape Gull

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A great twitch and thankfully the bird stayed and it was nice to see some familiar faces I haven't seen in years and have a good catch up!