Black-headed Gull

A common year round visitor to the reservoir, normally gathering in sizeable flocks, especially in winter months.

05/11/70 - 336 birds

??/08/83 - 380 birds

??/12/83 - 800 birds

??/03/84 - 800+ birds

05/01/91 - 300 birds

??/10/91 - Between 280 & 600 birds during the October to December period

27/11/92 - 1000+ birds

19/01/93 - Approx. 570 birds

28/11/93 - 1000+ birds

17/12/94 - Approx. 1500 birds roosted during the strong, southerly winds

09/01/95 - Approx. 500 birds

06/12/97 - Single leucistic bird sighted. This same bird has been seen at Axmouth, Devon for the past 5 years, indicating that the reservoir gulls commute between the 2 locations

02/01/98 - 600 birds

??/11/98 - 1000 birds

??/12/98 - 500 birds

??/01/99 - Approx. 400 birds

??/02/99 - Approx. 550 birds

??/03/99 - Approx. 340 birds

??/10/99 - Approx. 450 birds

??/11/99 - Approx. 500 birds

14/01/00 - 300 birds

28/07/00 - 167 birds

02/12/00 - Approx 1000 birds

19/02/01 - 300 birds

01/12/01 - 350 birds

21/12/01 - 1100 birds

15/01/02 - 700 birds

28/02/02 - 1000+ birds

07/03/02 - 420 birds

23/10/02 - Approx 500 birds

05/11/02 - 300 birds

08/12/02 - 387 birds

13/12/02 - One albino

15/12/02 - 560 birds

03/01/03 - 500+ birds

25/10/03 - 450 birds

02/11/03 - 500 birds

14/11/03 - 1500 birds

05/12/03 - 530 birds still present the following day

13/12/03 - 625 birds

10/02/04 - Approx 1000 birds

14/02/04 - Approx 500 birds

09/03/04 - Approx 600 birds

07/01/05 - 300 birds

30/01/05 - 362 birds

07/02/05 - 730 birds

15/02/05 - Approx 800 birds

22/12/05 - 570 birds

24/02/06 - 227 birds, a low maximum for February

12/11/06 - 700 birds

06/12/06 - 570 birds

27/12/06 - 1100 birds

08/01/07 - 350 birds

22/01/07 - 1 oiled bird coincides with an oil spillage at Seaton

16/10/07 - 400 birds

12/12/08 - 197 birds and 500 birds on 19/12

16/01/09 - 1000 birds

03/12/09 - 293 birds

25/12/11 - 360 birds

14/01/12 - 500+

07/11/12 - c.400

24/02/13 - c.800

22/11/13 - 411

14/12/13 - 400+

2014 - Up to 250+ seen during October/November/December

2015 - 200 or more were regularly seen during the winter months of Jan/Feb/Mar and Oct/Nov/Dec with peaks of 500+ on 04/03, 400+ on 12/03 and 350+ on 11/01. Also a colour ringed bird was seen on 12/02 that was seen in the previous month (January 2015) at Radipole Lake, Weymouth and had been ringed as a chick in 2014 in Bedfont Country Park, Greater London

2016 - 200 were seen on 26/07 and 200 or more were regularly seen during the winter months of Jan/Feb/Mar and Oct/Nov with peaks of c.450 on 03/02, and 300+ on 07/03 and 23/10. Also a colour ringed bird was seen on 09/11 which had been ringed in a park in Hamburg, Germany which is 578 miles from Chard

2017 - Up to 200 regularly seen in the winter months with peaks of c.300 on 08/02, c.220 on 10/02, 300+ on 11/02 and 254 on 20/11

2018 - Up to 200 regularly seen in the winter months with peak of c.300 on 04/02

2019 - January counts equalling previous records with c.500 on 12/01 1500+ on 13/01 and 1000+ on 14/01. Also very good numbers in February and March with c.300 on 15/02 and c.600 on 02/03

2020 - Max of 300+ in February and October. A Danish colour ringed bird V59T was seen first on 19/07, then again on 29/07 and 31/07

2021 - Max of about 250 on 06/09. Otherwise regularly double figures with up to 200 in February, March and November

2022 - Max of about 200 on 06/02. More than 150 during January. Mostly singles during the summer and building up to over 100 in October and December

2023 - Max of about 300 on 19/02. Also c.200 on 25/2, about 220 on 06/03 and about 200 on 31/12. Only a couple seen in April and none seen in May