Wednesday, 28 December 2011
Iceland Gull returns to Alnwickhill
I had given up on the 1st winter Iceland Gull returning to Alnwickhill, but it was there again today at lunchtime. A quick visit coincided with some very unpleasant weather and I was in two minds whether to bother getting out of the car. I'm glad I did as the Iceland Gull was one of the few birds on the filter beds and it did not seem in the least perturbed by the conditions. It generally sat tight in comparison to the Herring Gulls which were arriving to bathe. Once again the coarse markings of the Iceland Gull were apparent. Head-on, in particular, it could be the darkest gull in the group.
I thought the weather was about to improve...
... but no...
Sadly, the weather beat me eventually - look at that spray! Iceland Gull in foreground
I was hoping that it was going to fly around a little, but a single wing-flap was all it managed... Think I'll pop back later when the rain has stopped...
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3 comments:
Good effort! I wonder if Scottish Water would allow access to the buildings to use as a hide before they finally demolish the place. Might try emailing. Cheers, Bruce Kerr
C'mon the non fair weather birders! This great second coming may even tempt me for a before work peek. Nice one.
Thanks for the comments guys.
I did contact Scottish Water a couple of years ago and was firmly rebuffed when I asked about the possibility of access to the site - they indicated that this was for anti-terrorism reasons. Now the site is being decommissioned maybe this will change.
Good luck if you go for the gull - not sure early mornings are best for this site though - always seems to hold the greatest numbers in the afternoons.
Geoff
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