Last minute bird.
Due to the high winds, and accompanying trigger lightening that we had on Tuesday, from whichever storm (Ciara?) that was that passed through, I had to stay an extra day on the platform.
Yesterday morning however, the winds were down, and despite an initial short delay for more trigger lightening, my chopper home was soon on its way. I headed up to the waiting area under the helideck, arriving there before anyone else. With three weeks of very few birds behind me, I was not actually looking for anything. Leaning on a handrail and looking south, my eye was attracted to a Kittiwake passing close in below me, but almost instantly, a bird that was flying behind the Kittiwake really grabbed my attention. Finally, a White-winged Gull!
A juvenile Iceland Gull in my last unscheduled minutes onboard. Almost made the delay worth it.
The bird did not linger,, but just casually flew west towards Scotland. I'm guessing it had been blown out to sea by Tuesday's storm, and was now making its way back. A very welcome sighting though, whatever its origination/destination. :t:
2020 List
1. Great Black-Backed Gull
2. Carrion Crow
3. Herring Gull
4. Kittiwake
5. Fulmar
6. Shag
7. Gannet
8. Iceland Gull
Due to the high winds, and accompanying trigger lightening that we had on Tuesday, from whichever storm (Ciara?) that was that passed through, I had to stay an extra day on the platform.
Yesterday morning however, the winds were down, and despite an initial short delay for more trigger lightening, my chopper home was soon on its way. I headed up to the waiting area under the helideck, arriving there before anyone else. With three weeks of very few birds behind me, I was not actually looking for anything. Leaning on a handrail and looking south, my eye was attracted to a Kittiwake passing close in below me, but almost instantly, a bird that was flying behind the Kittiwake really grabbed my attention. Finally, a White-winged Gull!
A juvenile Iceland Gull in my last unscheduled minutes onboard. Almost made the delay worth it.
The bird did not linger,, but just casually flew west towards Scotland. I'm guessing it had been blown out to sea by Tuesday's storm, and was now making its way back. A very welcome sighting though, whatever its origination/destination. :t:
2020 List
1. Great Black-Backed Gull
2. Carrion Crow
3. Herring Gull
4. Kittiwake
5. Fulmar
6. Shag
7. Gannet
8. Iceland Gull


