Gull watching.

I spent a couple of hours Friday afternoon gull watching at Gowy. As usual there were plenty of birds around but unfortunately they were at least three fields away from where I was parked on the lane. Coupled with the heat haze this made for difficult viewing and although I'm pretty certain I picked out the juvenile Iceland Gull again I only got it in flight.

Even at this distance the gulls are easily spooked and someone walking a dog along the Gowy brook put the whole lot up. Get out the Landrover and they're gone......It's a very difficult site to work compared to Richmond Bank and the only way to get any closer is to get a hide and sit it out for a few hours. Occasionally I get lucky and they roost closer.

By contrast to Fridays sunshine Saturday was dull, grey and bitterly cold. A trip to Hilbre was enlivened by the number of Sanderling feeding on the edge of the gutter as we followed the tide out but then the weather really closed in. Rain froze instantly in sheets of ice that covered the Obs windows and the Landrover. The usual suspects were around though with Purple Sandpipers at the north end and a Peregrine hunting down the west side.

A good cooked breakfast soon banished the chills and a tot of malt in our mugs of tea set us up for an afternoon watching the rugby!