Little Gulls remain & returning Lesser Black-backed Gulls join the small winter population

A poor picture of a distant adult Common Gull off Red Nab with mantle/upperwing coverts approaching an average graellsii Lesser BB in tone. Unfortunately could not persuade it to sit next to a significant number of adult Common Gulls for comparison. The light was completely 'flat' and gull-tone friendly.

Heysham Obs
Half-moon Bay foreshore
The adult Yellow-legged Gull was present briefly early morning and again mid-morning

Stage 2 outfall
6 adult and one 2nd W + 2 1st W Little Gull & at least 2 further adults offshore feeding with other gulls

Red Nab/Ocean Edge foreshore
1000hrs: Quite a lot of gulls including what was presumably the usual regular large adult Med Gull and a noticeably dark-mantled Common Gull. Lunchtime visit produced even more gulls with 2 adult Meds, probably including the morning bird, 350 Black-headed Gull, 45 Common Gull, 35 Lesser Black-backed Gull (many in pristine summer plumage), 15 Great Black-backed Gull (mostly juveniles) and 45 Herring Gull.

Ferry followers
Three Kittiwake (2 1st W) behind a morning freight ferry

Mound area
17 Twite & 6 Linnet north harbour wall by sand entrance the maximum count of small finches today (some of presumably the same birds also seen south harbour wall)

Vis Mig from the north harbour wall
Pintail 4 'out'
Golden Plover 14 'out' - this is a quite exceptional record for here!

Elsewhere
'Obvious' Nordic Jackdaw in a field near Wray (perhaps the Farleton bird?). 2 Red Kite reported Abbeystead yesterday. Pale-bellied Brent Goose Sunny Slopes Groyne. Single Purple Sandpiper Stone Jetty/Wooden Slipway. Belgian ringed Med Gull 36W on Lancaster City football ground whilst the usual incumbent P96 was on Lancaster cricket pitch. This is the first known occasion 36W has been seen during the winter months away from Morecambe seafront. To add to the odd situation, an adult Med Gull was also present in the Broadway area of Morecambe at the same time (36W's usual haunts)! Another unringed adult Med Gull between Carlisle railway bridge and the Millenium footbridge. Ross's Goose not seen in the LDBWS recording area today but still present as per yesterday. Brambling in a flock of Chaffinch near Star Bank (SD55).