Gull Therapy - 12th January 2012

After a very inspiring talk from Birding Frontiers leader Martin Garner the night prior, I was eager to get out birding. During the afternoon, I had to endure possibly the most difficult exam I have ever had the misfortune of sitting and was in a bit of a depressed mood. I therefore decided that I would give the Bangor Harbour gull roost a go.
Arriving at 15.45 on the falling tide, the gulls had started gathering but nothing of note was evident. At 16.30, I was starting to think about packing up, until I scanned the mudflats and picked up a flash of white. This was a white-winger and a brute at that! With it being bigger than the surrounding Herring Gulls I assumed it was a Glaucous Gull, but something just didn't seem right. It was long-winged, had a small head and a smallish bill. It was a massive 2ndw Iceland Gull, and a British self-found tick!
The recent invasion of white-wingers in the British Isles, I was hoping to pick one up, but never actually thought I'd actually do it!