Franklin’s Gull – an Assynt first
Two birdwatchers on holiday to the area found an unusual solitary gull on Clashnessie Beach on 17th May. They correctly identified it as a Franklin’s Gull, Larus pipixcan.
This gull species breeds in North America, and is a rare vagrant to Europe and a first for Assynt if not Sutherland.
At first glance it could be mistaken for a small version of a Black-headed Gull, but it has darker wings and back. This visitor is a first summer bird which means the normally red bill and legs are more black looking and the black hood is not complete. The thick white crescents above and below its eye are very distinctive.
The photograph was taken by David Haines on 18th May. There are unconfirmed reports that the bird may have been around since the 15th May.