Ringing recovery

Way back in January I saw a Common Gull with a red colour ring on its leg with the letters "M84". I reported the ring and, finally, after 7 months, I have received a reply from the ringer. The bird was first ringed as a chick in July 1988 on Elovaja Vostotsnaja Island, Kandalaksha Reserve, Russia (67.05N-032.30E). This is a small island off the Kola Peninsula (just east of the Finnish border). The bird has since been seen several times in the Copenhagen area in winter so it seems this bird likes Danish winters (much better than Russian winters I am sure!) and, presumably, returns to its breeding ground in Russia each spring. For all you mathematically-challenged people out there, this means the bird was in its 21st year when I saw it - not a bad age for a gull.