Franklin's Gull on a big Yorkshire day out

Franklin's Gull

On the Tarn (Damien Young)

Same angle different field

                                              Fashion at it's best

I was at Harvington Cricket Club watching Gussy blast a far from perfect half century on Saturday when an alert came through that a Franklin's Gull had been found in north Yorkshire. This american gull had been on my wish list since I started trying to see rare birds but it's a species I've never got near to as they have always been in areas too far away.

A plan was hatched with the Squire to wait for news the following morning before setting out. We both had started other things on the morning when thankfully the alert came through at 9.05am. The journey took a long three hours until we parked up at Redcar Tarn. Whilst the setting was stunning the pesky Gull has taken flight and went AWOL much to the annoyance of the assembled group of 70-80 birders & photographers waiting around the edge of the tarn. 

It was then a case of holding out for the bird to return. Birds never follow the script do they...... 2 1/2 hours passed then there was call from a birder that the Gull was in a field a mile away. Stampede..........cars dumped everywhere as we all lined the road looking down onto a field where there were a group of Black-headed Gulls and one other gull that it was not possible to ID due to it's position & distance from us. Then the flock took flight and mixed with another flock and there it was confirmed ! Thankfully the Franklin's Gull landed in great view. The Squire duly found our quarry right in the middle of his scope to give us a cracking views. We watched the bird feed in three different fields and with no iminent return to the tarn we decided to head for home.