It has probably been eleven years since I missed seeing a Sabine's Gull that was present on the Brighton seafront. I think it was only there for a day but the memory of having missed it, has been there in the back of my mind ever since. Then a report of one just over the border in Hampshire, a couple of days ago, gave an opportunity to purge the failure from my memory.
Fortunately I spotted the report whilst checking e-mails at six in the morning, just after getting up to make an early morning cup of tea. By seven thirty I was standing on the sea wall at Southmoor Nature Reserve in Langstone Harbour waiting for the sun to come up.
It didn't look promising, it was cold and dark with the wind was gusting towards gale force and there were a lot of gulls in the area. Spotting one gull, amongst the hundreds in the reserve and on the sea, was proving difficult particularly with the scope moving about in the wind.
My luck was in though, the sun came out and one of the birders that turned up had seen it the day before and knew its favourite feeding area. Sure enough within a few minutes it made an appearance and started giving good views as it was dip feeding in the shallow water.
Even better it was a full adult in summer plumage with dark grey hood and yellow tipped bill so no problems with the identification.
Fortunately the bird was feeding in the pools inside the reserve so standing on the sea wall you had the sun behind you, although this then gave problems with high contrast levels. So not perfect but certainly a lot better than the usual South Coast problem of having to photograph out to sea into a low winter sun.
I watched for about an hour hoping to get a picture of the distinctive upper wing pattern but it proved difficult to see.
The number of birders gradually increased with one of the photographers eventually stepping over the fence into the reserve to get a closer view. He was on his own for a time but the the second crossed the fence, then a third and in a short time most of the twitch was in the reserve on the edge of the pool.
To be fair the bird did not seem to be spooked in the time I watched but it did move further away. For new people turning up there was little choice. The view from the sea wall was obstructed by all the people in the reserve and to see the bird they all had to join the throng. Sad really, does anyone read the birdwatchers code these days, birding etiquette seems to have gone out of the window.
Fortunately I had seen enough and made my way back to the car. If the bird is still around in a few days time I might go back. There is always a better picture to be had.
