Bonaparte's Gull still on the river

Pretty cold this morning, with an obvious change in wind direction to the north. I arrived at 7ish again, and there was a small crowd gathered in the gloom waiting for the Bonaparte's Gull to show. It took an hour or so, but sharp-eyed Paul H on the other side of the river found it again in Barking Bay - just as I'd arrived at the incinerator! So a nice walk back of a mile or so from where I'd just come from. Anyway, to cut a long story short, I first had the Bonaparte's Gull flying west quite close and then much more distantly on the other side of the river (from the golf centre) for a much more prolonged period. After I left, it was seen further east off the stone barges at Rainham before returning to Crossness/Barking Bay this evening.

1st-summer Med Gull

Not much else doing, but a nice 1st-summer Med Gull was on the foreshore - this bird the same as that seen on Friday and a plumage I rarely see - along with a handful of Yellow-legged Gulls as usual. Finally, it's probably the last time I'll see Ian M at Crossness before his move to the Midlands so all the best mate; it's been a genuine pleasure.

Some of yesterday's big hitting crowd