A bright and sunny start to the morning at Leeshaw reservoir with a dense bank of fog on the moor top lasting all day. A cold W>3 was blowing at 3 degrees.
In excess off 1000 gulls present this morning with c 600 on the water and the surrounding fields white with gulls. At least 50 Herring gulls were on the water but only 3 LBBs.
An overwhelming task scoping through the crowds of gulls but did the best I could, only to fail coming up with anything exotic.
Just a single male Goosander present whilst the group of Meadow Pipits is now up to 34, very spooked and mobile due to my first Buzzard of the year flying over.
An afternoon gull check at Ogden found over 300 gulls on the water along with 39 Herring gull and 1 LBB, where are all the LBBs this winter?
The gulls were at the north end of the water so very distant and facing into the wind with their backs to me with the sun glistering on the water so not an easy job but after 15 minutes eye straining through the bins I found the 2nd winter Iceland which was present here a few days ago.
The bird is very aggressive towards other gulls attacking anything that got close after which it flew a short distance to another part of the water making it difficult to keep tabs on it.
The gulls kept getting spooked with several bread lobbers turning up which made most of the gulls drift right to the north end of the water and the last sighting I got of the Iceland was just after 1430 hrs and unable to relocate it after that with the help of DJS and Jen, though I never saw it leave.
Interestingly D Prest text me to say he had a 2nd winter Iceland over Albert Rd reservoir Hx at 1447 hrs so presumably the same bird, as that was the direction the Herrings were heading off in.
I,m still presuming that this bird is the Iceland gull that we had in the area last year, then a 1st winter, as its using the same locations as it did then and now including Albert Rd reservoir which is not a regular water for gulls.
BS