During the week news broke of a caspian gull photographed in a nearby park a few weeks ago, I didn't think it would be still around but I checked a few of last years gull spots. No sign of the ring-billed yet, but I'm sure it will turn up. The following day came news that it was still in the small urban park and within 20 minutes I was watching it. There have probably been less than 15 caspian gulls in Ireland, so to have one so close, and as it turned out, so tame was great.
It was quite a dark mantled second winter bird, very advanced in moult and instantly stood out.
With it being so close I was able to go up and see it a few times, and I hope to get up again soon. Tomorrow I'm hoping the Ivory gull in wexford stays another day.
I was probably a little late for the caspian today, no sign of it on the usual pond so I tried another Park. Plenty of common gulls, 2 great black backs and a single adult lesser black back. I spent a bit of time sketching a young common until the rain arrived.
This female merlin posed nicely for me in Cahore last week. With short eared owl, peregrine and a hen harrier in the same area I didn't know where to look!
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