I think all birders in NI will be thankful to Stephen for finding the Ballycastle Laughing Gull! I am anyway and owe Stephen a pint or three! Here follows an account from Stephen on the finding of this Northern Ireland MEGA! and it shows rare birds can turn up at anytime and any place! Also Stephens picture taken at 55mm on his zoom lens!! If only all rarities where like this and it seems as if Pizza might be the key to finding American Gulls!
"I had been fishing with my brother and our respective sons at Corrymeela during the evening and we had called into Ballycastle to get something to eat before we headed off home. We had parked beside the marina so we could look at the boats as we ate our pizzas. After a while a few Black-headed Gulls perched on the railings in the hope of some scraps so I started flicking some crusts out the car window. This attracted some more and a marauding Lesser Black-back. I checked through the gulls but there was nothing of note. We tidied up and were about to drive off when I noticed that the even larger gathering now contained a rather scruffy Laughing Gull. My brother got me the camera bag from the car boot and soon a barage of pizza scaps was being flung out the car windows. My nephew threw a rather large piece out the window and the Laughing Gull got it and set off with a Lesser in hot pursuit. I thought that was the end of my chances but it came back and I got to take some more photos. It came within about 2m of the car!"
Stephen Foster
