Trevor Codlin (The Barley Bird-er) and I had planned a little birding outing on 20th June while our wife's were pampering and drinking bubbles in the local spa. So at 06:00 Trev got to my place and we drove onto Bowling Green Marsh, Topsham in Devon arriving at just gone 08:00. The main target was a summering Ross's Gull which had been present since 29th May and a support cast of Bonaparte's Gull and Spoonbill. Trev has written an excellent account of the day here and so I won't repeat it here.
Ross's Gull was a tick for Trev, for me this was my second after the pink adult on the Plym Estuary in 2002. I mainly wanted to see this bird as I had not seen an immature previously.
Here are some of my photos from the day, unfortunately the light was particularly bad and so the photos are certainly not award winners!
This adult Spoonbill gave the view from the hide a sense of the Mediterranean
Eight of the 11 Little Egret present
Two distant shots of the Ross's Gull in slightly scruffy
1st Summer plumage
1st Summer Bonaparte's Gull
And a distant large gull which was discussed as
being a possible Caspian Gull
