A tale of two twitches - part one

A snap of cold weather across the country has certainly made it feel more like Winter. To make it even better the weather has brought down with it a real cold weather specialist in the form of a Ross's gull. These are real high Arctic birds, normally associated with northern USA and Siberia in Summer  and wintering in the Bering Sea on the edge of the pack ice. They are not known as long distance  migrants but a very few have reached our shores. This bird rocked up in Dorset mid week, initially at Ferrybridge then also at Lodmoor and fishing out in the bay at Weymouth. It's a lifer for me, and the first one truly on offer this year. So, it had to be done. Friday was a 4.20 alarm call and on the road straight away.
The gull had, over two days to be fair so not much of a routine, shown just after dawn when it came out of its roost, then would disappear out to sea to feed. So, I wanted to be in Dorset at first light, which I was. The problem was, where to go. On the Thursday night it had shown really well at Lodmoor, but had been at Ferrybridge in the morning. For those who don't know Weymouth, they are about 5 miles apart, but the drive takes you through the town so it's a good 15 minute drive, though much more with traffic.
I elected to try Lodmoor first. Early doors there were two other birders on site. One, Andy, from Portsmouth, the other, Moira, had driven down from Glasgow overnight!!! There were a few gulls around but no sign of the Ross's as we looked out over the west scrape.

The Ross's is a small gull, about 2/3 the size of our black-headed gull so should stand out well. What did stand out in the early light was a stinking great glaucous gull that dropped in for a preen - a real white brute of a bird.

By 8 we were getting cold but the crowd had swelled to about 20 and we were expectant. Then my phone pinged - "Ross's gull on the mud at Ferrybridge". In the words of the Clash "should I stay or should I go". I stayed. For 10 minutes anyway, till the alert went off again. Still on the mud. About half of us decamped and drove off. Trouble was two schools, traffic lights and roadworks were all between us and Ferybridge so it took almost 40 minutes to get there. As I drove into the car park I could see there were no birders on site. I found out later from RBA it had flown off about 5 minutes before I got there and everyone was chasing it down to Bowleaze cove. I checked the mud for a bit but disconsolately got back in my car and went back to Lodmoor - through the same traffic jams.
I resumed watch again on the scrape with my friends - including one who had forgotten his coat and had to stop off in a charity stop to buy one before he froze. Then of course it happened again - "on the mud at Ferrybridge". We all agreed though not to risk it again and so we stuck it out. Gradually a few others birders arrived who had seen it earlier, and were very pleased to show us their photos of it. Why do they think that helps? We know what it bloody looks like and we don't need you gloating thank you. Even Lee Evans turned up having done the same as us - missing it both times though due to the traffic.
Although it was sunny it was perishingly cold standing around but there was nothing else for it. A few other birds tried to keep us entertained including a beast of a greater black-backed gull, a small murmuration of lapwings and good numbers of Mediterranean gulls.

No sign of our bird though. After lunch came and went the crowd had grown to about 50 or 60, spread out along the path. A heavily ringed spoonbill did come past us, busily feeding in the icy water.

Apparently in was ringed in Holland, but why quite so many I don't know. As ever on Lodmoor there were a lot of snipe in the reedy margins and a few came out into the open in the weak Winter sun.

No sign of the Ross's gull though, either here or anywhere else. I finally gave up about 3 headed home slightly, no very, despondent. Not only did I dip on the bird, it was there and it was my bad choices not to go to Ferrybridge first up and then to not stay for a bit longer which caused the dip. Definitely unfinished business there though.