A Franklin's Gull at Winchester - 12th November 2026

Franklin's Gull is native to North America, breeding in central Canada as well as adjacent northern states of the USA and wintering off the west coast of southern Mexico and Central and South America where it is common from Ecuador to Chile. The species bears the name of Sir James Franklin who first discovered it during one of his Arctic expeditions  in 1825. 

It is a rare vagrant to northwest Europe with 87 being recorded in Britain before the discovery of this latest individual at Winchester in Hampshire on Tuesday the 10th of November. It was associating with around a dozen Black headed Gulls and favouring one particular field alongside a narrow lane called Lanham Lane on the outskirts of Winchester. Popular opinion has suggested it is a second winter bird that was seen on the Isle of Wight in August and then moved to Dorset and various other private sites along the south coast, usually associating with Black headed Gulls.

I personally have seen five Franklin's Gulls in Britain, the last being at Crossness in Bexley, Kent on the 16th of July 2024. I have even had the good fortune to see one in the gull roost at my local Farmoor Reservoir that visited from the 17th to the 28th of August 2002 while it completed the moult of its flight feathers.

Wednesday the 11th of November was a day of change weather wise .Gone were the mild temperatures and cold nights bringing a succession of depressing fog bound mornings and grey skies.An abrupt falling of temperature and clear nights heralded sunshine, blue skies and frost in the mornings that followed.

Enthused by the sunshine I determined to try and see the Franklin's Gull at Winchester which was an hour and half's drive south from my home and would be relatively easy to achieve. I so wanted to be out birding but social commitments prevented any chance of this and the earliest I could get away would be Thursday. 

The question though was would the gull still be there

I determined to wait for news of its continued presence on Thursday as it seemed to be seen more reliably in the afternoon, so was taken by surprise to see a report of it being in the favoured field at around 9.45am.

I set off immediately on the ninety minute drive to Winchester which was pleasant enough as it was after the rush hour traffic around Oxford had dispersed and turning off the southbound A34 I found myself following minor roads that seemed to get ever narrower as I approached Lanham Lane

I drove up the lane which was so narrrow two cars could not pass without one pulling over. There was a large farm field on my right protected by a hedge, could this be the field the gull favoured? Birdguides suggested it was as their app was telling me I had reached my destination.

But where to park the car? I certainly could not leave it in the lane. Salvation appeared in the form of a very nice lady walking her dog who told told me to park in a road of houses opposite,which I duly did, got my gear together and walked back to Lanham Lane and passed through a narrow gap in the hedge which the lady had also pointed out. This brought me onto a public footpath with around a dozen birders scanning across the extensive field which looked like it was sown with grass or winter wheat but to all extents was bare.

A small number of Black headed Gulls were flying up and down the field although not nearly as many as I had imagined, say no more than half a dozen, scattered over the field presumably looking for worms. I asked a nearby birder if the Franklin's was present and was told it was, but it had just landed on the ground in the middle of the field but out of sight due to the topography. We were at some elevation, in a landscape of rolling contours and the field sloped downwards from left to right but where we stood looking across the field it rose to a ridge, and beyond but not visible was the gull on the ground.

I walked further alongside the upward sloping side of the field and followed the path as it turned at right angles to pass across the top end of the field. Stopping here I could now see down the entire length of the field  and there was the Franklin's Gull standing alone in the middle.

After a short while it took off and commenced patrolling the field in a languid flight, covering virtually the whole area. It looked marginally smaller than the Black headed Gulls and its upperparts were noticeably darker grey, contrasting with the white border to its wings making it relatively easy to pick out in flight. Depending on the light it had a partial, dusky grey or black hood across the crown of its head with a noticeable white ring round each eye making it look almost as if it were wearing spectacles. Its wing tips were black with five distinct white mirrors and its bill was a dull, straw yellow.

It continued to cruise round and round the field, sometimes low and sometimes higher in the sky, riding the strong and bitterly cold north wind with ease and grace, every so often dropping down to earth to pick off invisible prey - possibly worms although it was impossible to tell  

And this for the next hour was what I  watched it do apart from a couple of absences when it flew off high in the sky and out of sight only to eventually return but for the most part it was virtually on continuous show on and above its favourite field.

Whilst standing on the muddy footpath it became apparent how popular it was for dog walkers, even joggers. Some stopped to enquire of us what all the fuss was about so we told them about the rare gull that was gracing the field. 

The Franklin's Gull never came really close to me and the other birders on the footpath, restricted as we were to the footpath and, loathe to trespass on the farmland, we could not approach it nor would we want to for fear of disturbing it so I did my best to cope with its distant presence and the harsh midday sunlight, both of which put paid to any photographic masterpieces on my part.

I should add it was not an unpleasant vista that lay before me, looking down the field.The multi coloured autumnal trees that bordered the field and beyond formed a pleasing contrast to the sunlit white gulls. As far as I could see was an impressionist like swathe of varied colours. Leaves turned to yellow, orange, burgundy or brown, of varying hues and intensity with dense evergreens by way of contrast.So many leaves yet to fall.Sadly any extended zen like contemplation was precluded by the relentless cold wind that after an hour began to enter my bones and make my fingertips ache and grow numb even through my woollen gloves. 

By 2pm I had to concede to the cold wind. Watching the Franklins Gull was no longer the enjoyable experience I had felt on my arrival but now almost an endurance test. I am always reluctant to leave a rare bird but you know when the time has come to call it a day and for me this was that time.

I walked back through the gap in the hedge and found shelter from the wind on the other side and felt the sun warm on my face.