Day on Pen Llyn

I was working in the Pwllheli area today so made the most of lunchtime and caught up with Rhys' Surf Scoter, which was still catching crabs close inshore at Porthdinllaen. Initially it was opposite the Ty Coch Inn with a Great Crested Grebe but as the tide went out it moved slightly south further into the bay.



On the way back some top gen from Eddie resulted in an adult Iceland Gull flying straight over the car just east of Rhydyclafdy. The bird was floating about in the wind, sometimes with a Buzzard for company, and dropping down occasionally to pick worms up off the fields - shame I only had a compact camera with me!





While checking Pwllheli harbour I came across this interesting gull. Clearly it's a Herring and the primary markings and pale upperparts would suggest argenteus (fourth winter?), but the intense dark streaking on the head and neck and blotchy nape and breast really stood out and made me think of smithsonianus (dare I say it!). It appeared to be the same size as the 40 other Herrings it was with. Any thoughts/comments would be much appreciated.