Iceland Gull

Friday 20th February 2009
I left work at 4:05pm prompt and made my way to Priding, on the River Severn, spurred on by the recent sightings of Iceland Gulls there. A Little Owl was spotted at Stonebench on the way via the back lanes (which are in a bit of a state in places after the recent cold spell). I arrived at Priding to find a few of the regulars just about to get a bit further downstream to look through the gulls on the sands, where Shane Long was already on an Iceland. As we moved in for a look, a lot of the gulls suddenly took to the air, but luckily, a first-winter Iceland Gull was still on the sands. It also took off after a short while (at 5:00pm) and flew south almost overhead, in the direction of the estuary. This was a lifer for me, Iceland having eluded me for some time, so I was well chuffed. I went on to Frampton afterwards, where the Long-eared Owl was still at the reed-bed south of Splatt bridge.

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