Sunday 22 January 2012

dn.. dn..dn.. d.d. dn dn...........Ice Ice baby

Saturday, and after my mornings trip down to the Carr I checked Birdguides who repeated Iceland Gull sightings at North Shields. I'd been down earlier in the week without success but....well its Saturday and I deserve it. Turned up and nowhere to park. Where are all these people coming from and more to the point where are they going? Headed up to the High Lights and parked overlooking the Fish Quay. Out with the bins and thar she blows...adult Iceland Gull doing circuits up the Quayside. MSH parked a car in front of me and pointed out a second first winter bird on the fish quay roof.
Telephone conversations with AC on the quayside ensued and the adult was re-classified as fourth winter sub adult .........not that I would know but it was showing well so down to the waterside where I joined Northumbrian Birding in a quest for images.
The sub adult was very obliging

but the juvenile less so

I'm sorry son, Ostrich tactics don't wash up here in the grim North. But then again it's the deep south to him! Met Killy birder along the way who advised of a Glaucous Gull seen earlier but we never found it.

6 comments:

  1. Nice shots Peter, specially No 4.

    BTW most of the people are in Sambucas where a basic 3 course Italian is about 75% the cost of Fish and Chips.

    John

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  2. Nice images of very nice birds. Cheers.

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  3. Just found that I may have left my old scope and tripod (in a black carry bag with an RSPB bird guide in the pocket)somewhere. Don't suppose I left it when at Prestwick Carr on 27th December did I?

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  4. Great pics, not had any Icelands here in Kent yet that I've heard about this winter.

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  5. Thanks for the comments. I'm afraid I haven't heard of anyone finding your bag Vanellus but I'll ask around. Currently I have a short camera strap, a Canon viewfinder and there is the wheel arch lining from a van lying down there!

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  6. Bag and scope found at Saltholme. Just shows what sort of grasp I have on where I have been when. I blame it on old age!

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