Caspian and Yellow-legged Gulls at Dungeness 5th October

Being in the southeast of England, with a job that has no flexibility in taking holiday this time of year is always tough. Not that there has been anything turn up that I haven't seen, just that it would be nice to head off to places further afield to try and find some rarities. Nevermind, it's not all bad as today proved - relaxing on the beach at Dungeness in the sunshine, with loads of gulls to scan through. And look what I found...

2nd-winter Caspian Gull, Dungeness 5th October 2014. A pretty typical, placid-looking individual with obvious white mirrors to P10, neck streaking and retained (though worn) dark based greater-coverts and tertials.

1st-winter Yellow-legged Gull, Dungeness 5th October 2014. Note the distinctive tail pattern, dark based tertials with pale tips and dark anchors in the first-winter scapulars. Additionally, this was also a real brute of a bird in structure.

Anyway, much of these gulls are attracted to fish scraps and the like that Mick S religiously chucks out each weekend. He's doing a professional job of things, and it's no surprise that the shots and numbers of scarce gulls down at Dunge have been pretty decent over the last year or so.