This afternoon I drove Lyn to get her hair done in Moseley. But this time I took my binoculars and camera. Why? Because an immature Iceland Gull had been frequenting Swanshurst Park, a five minute drive from the hairdresser. Well you've got to go haven't you.
I arrived to find an encouraging number of gulls present on the small park lake. I scanned the pool for several minutes before I noticed another birder, it turned out to be fellow patch birder Neil Duggan, pointing to the centre of the lake.
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| Can you see it? |
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| What a cracker |
During my brief search for the bird I had noticed a Common Gull, hundreds of Black-headed Gulls, and about thirty Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Neil and I chatted about this and that while I tried to photograph the Iceland Gull in flight. This is my best effort.
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| It's a bit crap, but I rather like it |
Just as Neil was about to go, the Iceland Gull decided to land on the shore. At this point I got very focussed on it, perhaps a bit too focussed.
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| Iceland Gull with LBB Gulls & BH Gulls |
Checking my photos later I noticed this shot.
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| Iceland Gull with what appears to be a Yellow-legged Gull |
The shot before is quite revealing. Notice the gull arriving stage left. I didn't.
By the next shot, it seems to have gone, to be replaced by the original Lesser Black-backed Gulls etc.
So I went to pick Lyn up unaware that I had photographed not only an Iceland Gull, but also a Yellow-legged Gull. I'm glad it wasn't on my patch as it would have been the cause of considerable sole-searching.
Finally, many thanks to another fellow patcher, Mike Wakeman (North Redditch) for texting me to suggest how I could rectify the accidental adding of the Crossbill seen at Ipsley Alders to the Morton Bagot patch list. I have successfully dealt with the matter.
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