Ross's Gull - day trip to Zeeland

I am not proud of the way I dithered around last night. On Wednesday and Thursday, a gorgeous 1st-winter Ross's Gull had been showing really well in the harbour of Vlissingen, a small town in the west of The Netherlands and close to the Belgian border. And then yesterday, Friday, it disappeared all day before showing up in the last hour of light. These days I'm someone who only really travels a distance for something I have seen before if I have more than a fighting chance of seeing, so the Friday info put me off to the degree that initially I wasn't going to give it a go.

As I used to do, and realising it now in retrospect, to the likes of Gary B, Ian E, Stu B, Andy V there was a certain youthful, enthusiastic voice in my ear wanting a chance to see a Ross's Gull and telling me not to write a decent weekend showing off. And so, with a little bit of thought and the realisation that it'd probably be another status quo London weekend (yes, I still haven't seen the Horned Lark, I know!), the young lad Dante had talked me into a change of heart. And am I glad that I did....

A quick drive from London to Folkestone, and then the civilised Eurotunnel experience in the early hours, got us to Vlissingen a couple of hours before light this morning. Things weren't looking too great by midday though, and despite continuous searching with just a brief sojourn to a great Turkish bakery punctuating the boredom, it was looking like that late afternoon session of the previous day was perhaps the only chance we were going to get. And then, as if out of nothing, this small Arctic gull came ghosting in and then performed really well at times.

1st-winter Ross's Gull Vlissingen, Zeeland, The Netherlands 27th January 2018

The Ross's Gull initially came in and seemed to want to have a preen and a bathe among the Black-headed Gulls, and it was this type of behaviour that it did for the initial hour or so. Despite a load of bread and popcorn thrown out by us (mainly courtesy of the Mick S and Richard S), it didn't seem too interested though neither were the Black-headed Gulls. And then the Ross's Gull flew up and disappeared back off over the sluice gates and seawall.

1st-winter Ross's Gull Vlissingen, Zeeland, The Netherlands 27th January 2018

That is, until, it returned to the inner harbour about half an hour later and then showed ridiculously well at times - to within just a few metres. A really special bird, and as this was my first ever 1st-winter, it was exactly the experience I'd been banking on. Surrounded by a good humoured Dutch, French and Belgian crowd it was the English contingent that provided the ample amounts of bread and popcorn that the gulls, including the Ross's, were now devouring.

1st-winter Ross's Gull Vlissingen, Zeeland, The Netherlands 27th January 2018

And that was that, because as the light started to fade, it was time we headed back to Le Tunnel Sous La Manche and on to London. Back home before Match of the Day, which shows what is possible in a day with a little bit of effort...