Lewis and I headed down to Ferrybridge this am, where the ross's gull had been seen for the previous 3 mornings. On arrival we met up with Brendan and found out that it hadn't been seen yet. Shortly after arrival, a report came in that the bird has flown west over Lodmoor (Followed by a breif panic by some who hadn't read the whole report). Hoping that the bird was heading for the fleet, we remained at Ferrybridge for another hour until a second report came in from Lodmoor, apparently flying north this time, so we headed over.
We were considering checking Radipole on the way over, but from the car window the place looked almost devoid of gulls, so we carried on (Brendan checked it on the way and didn't have any luck). On arrival at Lodmoor, it seems the report actually corresponded to the 8am sighting, and that the bird hadn't been seen since. West Scrape was again, nearly completely devoid of gulls; things weren't looking good. A further couple hours produced a couple sleeping Spoonbills, a few Ruffs and singles of Avocet, Marsh Harrier and a male Bullfinch.
With no sign, we decided to head over to such the Pavilion Pier. As soon as we parked up, the report came through the RBA, it was at Lodmoor! I pulled the car out and starting heading back through the traffic-packed Weymouth. Thankfully, Lewis found the tweet by the RSPB saying the bird was viewable from the Discovery Centre - which was at Radipole! Had the new services got it wrong? This seemed the logical explanation, and we were just 2 minutes away from Radipole so we headed there first. We got to the bridge and there on the Island was the ROSS'S GULL! It gave absolutely crippling views, and before long the bridge and visitor centre was packed! Had the parking officers showed up, they would've had a field day! One extra bonus was a Med Gull, finally my first of the day!
ROSS'S GULL - Radipole Lake
After 30 minutes or so, the bird took flight and headed down river back towards the pier. We headed to the Pier where the bird had apprently been seen breifly, but there was no sign by the time we arrived. It really is a fast-moving bird. Lewis and I headed to Lodmoor following a report of a glaucous gull on the east side. By the time we arrived, there were 2 Glaucous Gulls on West Scrape plus the two Spoonbills, now out feeding.
Glaucous Gulls - Lodmoor
Spoonbill - Lodmoor
Snipe - Lodmoor
Lapwing - Lodmoor
With all the day's targets achieved, we decided to head to Blashford to increase our gull total for the day. The THAYER'S GULL was showing on arrival though it was somewhat distant. A caspian gull was apparently present at the back of Isbley but I wasn't convinced with the views I had. Isbley also had the usual selection of wildfowl including Pintail, Goldeneye and Goosander, and eventually the Ring-Billed Gull was located, though a real pain to pick out. I was only able to pick out a single Yellow-Legged Gull on site, bringing the day total to 11 gull species - not bad!
THAYER'S GULL - Blashford Lakes
Ring-Billed Gull - Blashford Lakes
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