Sunday 21 November 2010

There is an occasional rarity to be found amongst the birdlife on the dock. Any unusual gulls are not always easy to spot in a crowd of the resident blackheaded and blackbacks. Yesterday there was an Iceland gull around the pontoons in the Albert Edward dock, attracting a large number of people with binoculars, telescopes and probably some cameras. Like many Docklands birds, it was nowhere to be seen when I took my camera out with me today, but I'm sure it will have been photographed by someone else and will appear on the web in due course.

I was lucky enough to see these birds on an Arctic trip last summer, a major identification aid is that they have no black markings on the wingtips, or anywhere else, being white underneath and very pale grey on the back. It is very similar in appearance to the Glaucous gull, though much smaller.

RSPB Bird Guide:

Iceland Gull

Glaucous Gull

The greedy resident gulls, coots and ducks appear to be enjoying the remains of birdwatchers' sandwiches.

The swans with their 3 cygnets are still around the dock, and appear to be thriving. It's beautiful to see them moving through the water in a stately line on a cold, bright morning.