Patch tick: Iceland Gull at Alnwickhill!

At last my thick-skinned efforts peering through the back gate of the Alnwickhill Water Treatment Works in Edinburgh have been rewarded. The only viewing point is distinctly unpleasant as it means standing at the edge of the road using a gap barely wide enough for a scope. To passers-by it appears unclear why anybody would stand with their face pressed up against an apparently solid metal gate and anybody who has enquired has had their prejudices confirmed when I reveal that I am looking at 'gulls'...

Today I was delighted to find Edinburgh's first-winter Iceland Gull loafing with the Herring, Lesser Black-backed and Common Gulls on the causeway. While this site is only 4.5 kilometers (2.5 miles) away from this bird's usual haunts I was 'genuinely surprised' to see it here given how faithful it appears to have been to the lochans in the royal park (so is it reasonable to count this as a self-find?...).

The photos won't win any awards, but instead record the initial view as the bird was preening on the causeway followed by it repositioning itself in formation with a line of traffic cones.

Then it decided to move into a variety of positions that showed its nice short legs to best advantage...

What a great bird on the local patch!

Other birds at Alnwickhill included a male Goldeneye and 2 Oystercatchers. Later on, in the garden, three Waxwings and a smart-looking male Brambling added to the winter theme.