At last a Bonny gull.

I had no idea that last nights beach watch was going to result in a outing to last till almost 8.30pm. The beach area was pants as it has been the last couple of visits with hardly any terns resting around the area on my visits( joe public is seeing to that!). So after sitting on the steps to the pier from Sandhaven with Max for about 30 minutes with nowt really showing, we headed back across the dunes. Then my phone went off...............
"Adult Bonaparte's gull on "Shorts" ploughed field"....was the callers message, I was off with a miffed looking dog in tow.
A couple of calls later and I arrived at the Lizard lane side of the field, the finder and "huge" list were still present...but the gull had escaped without anyone seeing it doing a one! (Thats what happens sometimes when you are trying to get folk informed). Take ya eye off the ball and ....gone. "Huge list" showed me his excellent video footage before he left, I was more miffed than the car bound dog at this stage.
About 30 minutes later and still watching the field without any sign of the bogey gull me phone went again...Mark the finder reporting Mr Bell had picked the bird up again at Whitburn steel.
Off again and this time my luck was in! the bird was just off the cliffs here feeding at around the high tide mark with BH gulls.
After last years experience of scanning the gulls up and down the ST coastline and not seeing this species here, I was chuffed to bits at these views yesterday.

The weather has put pay to a visit along here today really but hope to get back along tomorrow.

Visit to the Academy pools earlier in the week - parties of Martins,Swallows and a few Swifts skimming and splash bathing here, family groups of Reed, Chiffs and Sedge warblers.

Fulmar chicks now looking the business along our coastline now....nice and fat.

Still a few Cormorant young on nest sites, at least 3 active nests still on Jack rock(Lizard point).