Iceland Gull

Friday 21st

A visit to first the boating lake at Tynemouth to check out the Gulls with the report of an Iceland Gull making the odd visit there ,it did have plenty of gulls to scan through Black Headed, Herring  and Great Black Backs no Med or Iceland Gull for me , I went up beach Road in the hope of seeing the Glossy Ibis which had been reported that morning but no sign( at least not this day) , two dips already and its only the morning . Decided to check out the Fish Quay and walked back and forth from the quay along to the beach area and back again several times checking out any likely perch for a Glaucous or Iceland , it was a reasonable day weather wise but as usual on the quay a bitter wind coming down the river , well with not much to get any photos of I was just about to head home when a bird which had just landed on the roadside sheds but on the river side of the roof , I could see it was  a white winger but it was a bit to far for photos , another gull settled right beside it forcing it to lift and resettle but now on the roadside of the roof so I legged it round to find it preening (apparently it had just come from the boating lake) the strong light was making a decent exposure hard ,but I got a few shots before yet another gull virtually dropped on top of it forcing it to take off and disappear with no chance of any flight shots . it was relocated on the river side sheds but again some distance.

Glaucous and Iceland are in my view going to be harder to get to grips with yes they are still turning up but more mobile in their habits , gone are the days you could scan a flock of gulls and pick out a Glaucous or two .

I did go home with a souvenir from my visit , I could smell a very fishy smell about my person thinking I had stepped in something but no , had I been leaning against something no seemed OK , not till I got home and took my jacket off  did I notice the very large splodge ! on my shoulder and running down the back ,now getting the full wiff  it was a foul I had to hose it down before throwing it in the washer ,the not so nice side of Gull watching !

 Lands on the roadside shed roof , nice long primary projection

 Now it's flipped over the apex and is now alongside the road

 Seems to have a dark eye , but pinkish bill

No flight shots obtained and by now the light has changed , not shown here is the size of the bird which was on the larger end of the scale for Iceland I would term it 1st Winter .