Satnav got me to Jim Driscoll Way in the usual hassle free manner and this time, no parking problems!! A local birder was on the case - it didn't look good as I got an all too familiar response: "Showed well all morning mate, a boat's just flushed it though".
We set about refinding it.......
Which was not easy, there were a couple of hundred Black-heads busy picking/catching flies and it was a question of working through them one by one!
Couldn't miss this striking 2nd winter Mediterranean Gull!
Back to scanning the Black-heads and after an hour or so prospects didn't look good! I decided to walk towards the road bridge where another group of small Gulls were fishing for flies. The vantage point wasn't quite so good due to trees in the way but the light was much better and within minutes I'd got the Boney!!!
Reminiscent of a Phalarope as it busily paddled in cicles picking flies from the surface of the water.
Decent record shots even.....
Plus a wingflap to see the upperwing detail! There was just a hint of brown in the coverts and a dark primary streak. Just wondered if this was a 2nd winter bird in virtually full adult winter plumage? The Cheddar Res bird (which I didn't get anywhere near this close to) from last Spring even - where did that go??
Another bonus Gull for the afternoon, a Little Gull flying relentlessly up and down.....
Don't you just love it when all goes to plan (in the end). The £25 doesn't seem so painful now......
