Elation And Vexation

This weekend saw me attempting to work on the Patch yearlist, with only moderate success. I also took the chance to sneak over to Brixham, in the hope of getting decent looks and even decent [at least by my standards] pics of white-winged gulls..

The best laid plans and all that.


We'll start off down sahrf, with what seemed like a good plan - public transport! No worrying about parking tickets or any of that nonsense! Hmm, rather mixed results, though. Reliance on fixed and inflexible routes was a bit of a hindrance time-wise, and I hardly came off ahead cost-wise, either. But it was an interesting go.

Anyways, I wasn't the only one out looking, and as one of each had already been seen by the time the buses and yomping got me to the breakwater [not helped by my started at the fish market because walking past one or both would have been embarrassing] I wasn't too annoyed by the "they've flown off in different directions" I got.

I tried the 'stake out attractive locations' method, first with a handy fisherman and his catch, then with my own bait

Note guy in foreground

This lot did

But not a white-winger among them.

So, try it myself. I went off and found the best gull-attractor I could lay hands on, then headed back out with a little trepidation. Having seen what the Oban Harbour gulls do to people who act like I was doing*, I think this was not out of order.

Perfect bait;

cheesy chips!

Also very tasty for famished birders.

As it happened, I need not have worried. The Brixham gulls were rubbish and didn't even harass me! I got a couple of flypasts and that was it, despite waving chips about and going "Free chips for white-winged gulls"..
It shouldn't need to be said that I didn't actually throw chips about - I had absolutely no intention of feeding them; the point being that the gulls didn't know that [and as they can't read 'Do Not Feed The Gulls' signs, I didn't expect them to] - and carried the empty about until I found a suitable bin.

Yeah, so I failed to find my targets. Gulls and Brixham Harbour are a worse than 50/50 prospect for me, so I wasn't entirely surprised.
This doesn't get you off horrid gull pics, though

The Glonk liked that spot, apparently

[That's a big Herring Gull, though]

Trying to work out what the big sticks are for

Making sure to look their best in case

The Artist decides to make them famous

Speaking of famous;

Heading in

But with guess how many gulls following? None. Zero.

Gutted!

Guillemot; "'Trawlermen' was better!"

Elsewhere, some more obliging birds;

A few of the horde by the fish market

This one struck a pose and waited

Now with some added criticism..

Coming up; on-Patch shenanigans, including Blackcap rectrice analysis.. Oh, I kid ye not.


Be Seeing You..





[[*They circle about 50' above them, and one at a time peel off to dive-bomb** them like black and white Stukas***... ]]
[[**Yes, bomb. They have realised that while gulls have no problem eating fish and chips covered in crap, humans will not only refuse to, but will usually instantly drop said rations on the ground and run about going "Aaaargh!" after being hit.]]
[[*** Yes, black and white. I'm not talking Herring Gulls, these are Great Black-backed Gulls here! Think about it and know fear.]]