Still very much still in winter wimp mode and unwilling to travel any distance at all on Friday morning I went to Marsh Lane again.Got there just after 9.30 AM to find it very cold with plenty of ice around on the pools but nice and bright.
Had some luck in the CP hide when all the Geese on the field across the river including the Barnacle Goose took off and landed en masse on the remaining open water on the CP pool.Took a while to find Barny but soon was able to get my first shots of it this winter.Lovely Goose.
My good friend the juvenile Herring Gull then dropped in and as on my last visit it seemed to enjoy playing on the ice.
Also present on the CP pool were 4 Goosanders which remained out of range for my lens so only got one half decent shot.
Just as I was thinking of heading home John Oates sent me a text telling me that the Caspian Gull at Earlswood Lakes was showing so off I went on a twitch (well it would be a lifer for me).Met up with Matt Griffiths on the causeway and he told me it had taken off and was flying around.Whilst waiting for it to show again I grabbed a few shots of some Great Crested Grebes that were starting to get into summer plumage.
I thought that a large Gull flying around in the distance might be the Caspian Gull but I was not sure so no tick.Here is the crappograph I took.
Right then the end of the story.A failed twitch and no life tick.No !!!! because at 9.45 AM on Saturday morning another text from John Oates " Caspo showing now at Earlswood ".Off I went again on a twitch.
Joined a small group on the causeway and they pointed it out to me just as it landed across the Engine Pool near the far bank.I walked over to get closer and managed a few shots in gloomy conditions before it flew off.
I then joined the birders on the causeway and it wasn't long before it flew pretty close to us and I was able to get some flight shots in the gloom.
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