6-12-08 Shields Fish Quay/Holywell Pond

Saturday the 7th , I had to go to North Shields so I thought I would call at the fish quay to check the gulls ,plenty of Black-headed along the shore beside the car park but no Meds in with them a walk to the sheds and there was only about 50-60 birds mostly Great Black Backs, and the rest Herring Gulls and that was it ,had hoped for an Iceland or Glaucous as this used to be the place to see them once, so off to North Shields early, now having time on my hands and not sure where to go , left the pager at home, I called in near Briardene the adult Med still around, taking some photos in the middle of the carpark it's amazing how many people drove right past me ,like moths drawn to a flame , this is a huge carpark so I don't get it ,but the up side was the bird kept flying around .

Next stop was Holywell Pond I had not been for awhile but was dismayed to find the hide had been vandalised but now repaired , the pond partly frozen held several hundred gulls but scan after scan revealed only the expected, Great Spotted in the willows and some Pinkfeet to the east was the only other things of note so all in all a rather quiet day.
To some just a boring Gull...........................

The mostly frozen pond at Holywell,those are all gulls along the edge

Another to the side again those are all gulls

Magpie enjoying what looks like Chicken , coughed up by the gulls another bone in the foreground

Great Spotted , it likes the Willows