Thank goodness Orcilla Hadrick has saved the day and produced a gull photo, we were sweating a bit there! International Gull Guru Orcilla has also broken the ring of steel which BOG OFF have thrown around Ballycastle. Orcilla tells all here:
" I was rather annoyed with the news on the NIBA Blog that the Laughing Gull was out of bounds and i thought to myself i am not having that, i love gulls. So after pondering which costume to put on, the Caspian Gull or Heuglins Gull i plumped for the Caspian Gull (more likely on range to reach Ballycastle.) So i got husband Dave (who prefers the Heuglins Gull costume!) to drive me to the blockcade. I jumped out and gave my "Caspian Gull long call" and i was ushered through. It really was easy to fool the BOG OFF security team.
I quickly found the Laughing Gull and was somewhat surprised to see that it had darkish secondaries and brown on the primary coverts which may indicate that it is an advanced first summer bird and not a second summer as first thought. All will become clearer when its fully moulted.
I didn't get to taste the Jumbo Cod Fish supper as the local DMSU Riot Squad were in the chippy sorting out a little dispute involving a large lady who was given an ordinary Cod Supper instead of a Jumbo one. 'WWF comes to Ballycastle' a policeman told me as he was carried into the ambulance.As i hadn't my gumshield on me i thought it best to sit on the wall but some eejit with a camera kept throwing slices of bread at me! Its a strange place!"
NIBA thanks Orcilla both for the gull pic and the information on its age.
