White Wingers and not so White Wingers

Me and Mark headed off to the East Coast this morning taking a scenic route over the Wolds trying for Partridges, we managed a few Red Legged and also two or three Buzzards, one feeding on a Hare, we arrived at Scarborough Mere just as the last of the showers passed through, a tame drake Mandarin has replaced the tame Red Crested Pochard and posed nicely for the camera, we carried on to the Harbour hoping for yesterdays Glaucous Gull but with a very low tide there wasn’t much about at all, we checked out Scalby Mills getting brief views of the Peregrines off Marine Drive on the way, a few large Gulls were loafing on the rocks  but there was no sign of the Glaucous there neither. We decided to cut our losses and headed off down the coast to Barmston for the Kumlien's Gull, it was posing nicely down on the beach, a smart looking bird and as stated certainly on the pale end of the spectrum but as they are basically a hybrid there must be a fair amount of variability.  We headed back up to Filey next, very windy here and very quiet, nothing in the Bay just a couple of Gannets passing the end of the Brig the only thing of note so we soon carried on back to Scarborough calling at Holbeck first where a 2nd winter and two adult Med Gulls showed well then noticing the tide had come in we dropped back down to the Harbour to try for the Glaucous Gull again, there was certainly a lot more Gulls about than this morning but still no sign of the Glaucous, on the plus side a Red Throated Diver was showing well this afternoon. We went on to Forge Valley but it was a bit late in the day for there really, a couple of Barn Owls were seen on the way home.

a torrent of snow melt at Scalby Mills

the beach at Barmston looking to Flamborough Head

accompanied by a few small Waders

went for a fly around

off again

looked to have a damaged lower mandible