Ross's Gull Run Around along the River Plym

A Ross's Gull was found at South Huish Marsh on Monday 9th March but after 2 hours it flew off, never to be seen again. Fast forward to Thursday 12th March and I'm sitting on the sofa at 9am with a cup of tea, watching BBC Breakfast and contemplating my plans for the day considering the strong winds and heavy showers forecasted when on checking the Bird Guides Website a report of a Ross's Gull on the River Plym flashed up - Whaaaattttt!

It was indeed the South Huish bird but the report said it had flown down from Blaxton Meadow at the top of the estuary towards The Cattewater and so I waited to see if there were any more sightings but with no news forthcoming I caught the bus to Laira Bridge to start my search, arriving at just past 11am to be greeted with some very strong winds and a vicious hail shower.

I met local birder Ian on the bridge but he hadn't seen the bird and then we met up with local birder Paul at the Recycling Centre Car Park who had just seen the bird before the hail shower had arrived and had watched it fly off high to the north - drat!

We all headed off up along the Plym with Luke, a birder from Dawlish, and we collected 3 more birders from Cornwall along the way. The tide was receding and there were quite a few gulls out on the mudflats at the top of the estuary - common, herring, lesser black-backed, black-headed and great black-backed with a smart adult Mediterranean gull with a plastic yellow leg ring also present - but no Ross's Gull.

Paul then had a call from local birder Keith who was watching the bird from the exact same spot Paul had seen it from earlier - and so we all began the walk back down the estuary towards Laira Bridge and the Recycling Centre!

Along the walk to Blaxton Meadow and back a few birds were noted - a Stock Dove flying over, a Ring-necked Parakeet squawking in the trees, a pair of Red-breasted Merganser diving for fish, a pair of Goosander asleep on the mudflats and a female Goosander diving for fish along a small creek with a Little Egret in attendance.

Goosander, River Plym

Goosander

Little Egret and Goosander, River Plym

Back at the Recycling Centre and the Ross's Gull had just flown off down river again and so everybody jumped into their cars to drive down to Oreston Quay where the bird had been noted earlier, leaving me to wander down to Laira Bridge for a scan about before beginning the 20 minute walk down to Oreston Quay in yet another vicious hail shower.

Arriving at Oreston Quay and Luke and Dave Boult from Exeter were the only birders there and as expected the news was that it had just flown down river towards Mount Batten! More birders arrived but despite scanning about there was no sign of the Gull. The tide was beginning to come in and I managed to see a distant Great Northern Diver off Mount Batten, a pair of Red-breasted Merganser flying upriver and a Common Sandpiper feeding along the shoreline under a jetty but after another nasty hail shower and with the winds strengthening and time marching on I began the walk back to Laira Bridge to catch the bus home, figuring I would have another try for the bird the next day.

Back at Laira Bridge and I decided to have one last look around, walking down the footpath behind the car workshop where I had watched the Red-necked Grebe a few years ago, and there it was, the Ross's Gull, feeding with Black-headed Gulls close in to the quayside, flying around and dipping down to the waters surface - result!

Ross's Gull, River Plym

Ross's Gull

Ross's Gull

Ross's Gull

The gulls all flew off down stream to feed on the opposite side of the river and unfortunately the skies had decided to clear at this point and so viewing the bird was very difficult looking into the sun but when small clouds passed over I managed some decent views. After a few minutes something spooked the gulls and they all flew up high including the Ross's which flew over my head and then Laira Bridge and out of sight. I headed over the Bridge too and found the Ross's Gull preening on the mudflats quite close to the path where I watched it for around 10 minutes before it flew off downriver yet again and I decided it was time to head off back home - but what an absolutely gorgeous bird to watch (eventually) and I had had it all to myself! And the views were much better than my first sighting of one on the Plym back in March 1988 (a 1st winter bird) and the brief flight views of one at Bowling Green Marsh in June 2014 (another 1st winter bird).

Black-headed Gull and Ross's Gull

Black-headed Gull and Ross's Gull 

And so an interesting and very twitchy day. It was nice to catch up with familiar faces and to put faces to names but I still don't enjoy twitches, I am just not a very sociable birdwatcher, preferring my own company, and I also don't feel worthy enough to be really considered a part of the twitching birders club, silly really.