Abandon Hope

Patrolling the Patch gave not a huge amount. The weather may have been a factor. But I'd been limited by my head in when I could get out, so I took what I could get.

I did come across a nice photo opp. and it would have been wrong not to,

Guillemot

Dozing in the Inner Harbour.

Seemed to be unoiled, so possibly had just come in after small fish?

Holding position with a casual foot

 

Offshore, the chop and sunshine made viewing less easy, but another Guiilemot and 2 RTDs [off Hollicombe, more or less] were the only non-Shorm birds I could find.

Closer-to,

Two out of Three

 

Right then. Time for the title.

It has been far too long since I put any horrific eye-searing images of garstly gulls on here, and I have a reputation to think of.

While looking in vain for grebes off Princess Pier, I saw a big thing with a dark tail, dark body, and pale head fly over and plonk down off Torre Abbey. It had... Something, which it wrestled with on the water for several minutes, before flying off and landing on top of the theatre. Out of sight.

I never got it any way but arse-on to the camera, despite shifting position twice, but I did at least get some pictures.

Oh yes, here we go;

Larid sp.

Dark body

Slightly better focus, at least..

Best wing view.

Nice grey bits, there..

Not exactly ideal views, but this isn't Broadsands and I'm not the Artist.

What do you think, laridophiles?

[Everybody else will be on the floor, rolled into a ball, gibbering quietly... ;) ]

As it flew past me, the pale head, dark body, black tail made me go 'Oooh, possible Smith!', but it's a bit lacking in tail covert barring, and that tail isn't as all-black as it looked in flight [though super-spread poses do have that effect]. The body-colouring was also a bit blotchy, not the velevety uniformity you'd expect on smith.

The upperwing of what looks like a first winter bird [older of any spp. would have a whiter body tone, surely] makes you think a little of YLG, especially with what seems to be a neat tail band [on some images] but the secondary coverts seem a bit light-looking. You'd want the double wing-bar effect. 

 

The default option is 'It's a weird Herring Gull' and that's where I'm leaning, but it seems to have strange genes from somewhere; I get a lot of odd Herrings [you may recall with displeasure] and this stood out even in comparison. 'What would a GBBxLBB look like' did come to mind as I pondered it, though probably nothing like that...

Ahem.

 

Anyways, I'm keeping eyes open and if I see it again and get a better shot, you'll be afflicted.

Ok, normal people can look again.

Finally, something completely different;

Street art

Be Seeing You...