Now I have to see that Goose...

Bloody, bloody Mike (Skink1978, bf). He only goes and notches his 2 bogey birds right in front of me on my patch. Oh well it could have been worse, like my start to the day. In the petrol station fill up, pay... I'm sorry sir but your card isnt working (not you've got no money in your account but your chip is buggered). Great, so i have to haul off back home to get some cash in tuppences (almost) and head back to the garage. Im now 20 minutes late. I get to Shiptonthorpe and the rozzers have only gone and closed the A1079. Bastards. Another 20 minutes is lost wending my way around rural East Yorkshire.

Its ok because I'm going to see the Tundra Bean Goose currently pretending to be a Greylag along with its partner in crime a juv White-front. And then it hits me, I'm in the wifes car. The bins aren't in there! I grumpily saunter into my Salmon population estimating regression something something practical some time after I had intended. I didn't really achieve much, my heart wasn't in it. So I copied my mate Grum. Scandal.

I went to see my tutor to see if I could half inch some gear thinking, he is a good bloke, he'll lend me a scope, DSLR and a pair of bins for sure. Well he might have done if he was in his office. Buggeration. A chink of light appeared as my lecture finished 15 minutes early at 3pm. A race back home and I grabbed my bins at 4.14 (very good time for those in the know!). I arrived at Wheldrake Ings at precisely 4.39 (a less good time) and thought if i get down to the hide quicksmart i may see a gull or 2.

At this point I was aware that Mike's car was in the car park and curiosity got the better of me. I phoned him - 'Anything good?' He replied something along the lines of 'yup, just seen Iceland and Glaucous. Good and bad. Good because it means I was likely to see white-wingers on patch and bad because we were now level on 229 for birds in Yorkshire.

I duly saw at least 2 sub-adult Glaucs and 1 1st winter Iceland Gull. The fella stood next to me managed to pick out a 2nd winter Herring Gull showing features of American Herring Gull but i couldn't manage that. I tried to string an argentatus 1st winter with long wings, uniform tone and slight build as the wandering Thayer's type gull but to no avail. Now there is nothing to it, I have to see that goose.