Laughing Gull - Blast From the Past Finds
Clonakilty, Cork, 2005.
My first self found Laughing Gull, I somewhat detailed here.
2005 was an incredible year for Laughing Gulls (and Franklin's Gull) with unprecedented infuxes of both in the late autumn.
However, with Laughing Gull it was notable that several individuals occurred in the early Summer.
I had ticked my very first Laughing Gull just a week prior, in Cork city. It was quite a fortunate occurrence. Living in the city center at the time, I was actually at home at lunch time on a weekday, a very rare event, when the news came out there was a Laugher on the Lee just a few streets over. I grabbed my bins there and then and ran across. A fantastic, unexpected tick.
Laughing Gull - Cork City - June, 2005
Laughing Gull was a mega at that time in Ireland.
So when I sat down at the red benches in Clonakilty a few days later, and laid eyes on a Laughing Gull...I fully expected it to be the same individual!
Having watched the Cork City Bird for some time, I quickly made the assessment it wasn't, however.
Several birders were already on their way for a chance at some decent seawatching, so this bird was popular as a stop off.
The real influx event occurred in the late autumn of that year, carrying on into the new year.
University College Cork, January 2006
My second self found bird was found as I was leaving for the evening on the 3rd of January. Jumping on the park and ride bus, I looked out in astonishment as the bus was pulling away, and a Laughing Gull sailed overhead, coming from the Lough direction and headed for the river Lee.
As it would turn out, this would become it's pattern as it stayed around an extended period, frequenting the Lough, and the river behind the BEES.
It afforded me many an enjoyable lunchtime pint excuse at the Lough! 😂
Stagrennan Polder, Co. Meath
My 3rd self found individual was a lunch break find in Drogheda, Co. Meath, at Stagrennan Polder.
I had taken to frequently checking the polder, from Baltray around to the south side of the Boyne Estuary at Lunch or after work.
This paid off with some decent birds over the years, but certainly Laughing Gull was the best of these.
Sitting down inside the polder gate with a sandwich and scoping across the mud, the sandwich was quickly put to one side as I pick up a dark backed gull rising up over the bank from the river itself.
The bird swooped low over the channels, giving good views before continuing on east towards Mornington, where it was lost to view over the main channel itself.
Sadly an afterwork check from Baltray beach, around to gormanstown, even taking in McDonalds in Drogheda (just in case it was a stereotypical yank) failed to relocate the bird.
Ballycotton, Cork, 2014
Possibly the most twitched Laughing Gull Ireland has ever seen, and easily the longest staying. (Though there's a quibble to be had).
On the 18th of January, I set off from Cork, as I did most weekends, bound for Ballycotton and intent on working all of the east Cork coast.
I grabbed a coffee in a garage on the way, and pulled in at the end of the pier to enjoy it, but that very first mouthful was spluttered against the windscreen as a first winter Laughing Gull floated up in front of me and zoomed around the corner of the pier.
The rest of my coffee was doomed to go cold now. I jumped out of the car, texted out the news and began frantically searching for the bird.
I hadn't even seen it with my bins as yet, but even the split second point blank view had been enough.
It was just a case of now relocating the bird (if it could be done).
5 minutes went by with now sign. Then 10. After about 15 the first birder, Sean Bourke showed up.
He had been on his way down to Ballycotton regardless, and the news had diverted him to the pier.
No sooner was he stood beside me on the pier, then suddenly the bird drifted past the south side of the seawall and back into the harbour.
From here on out it played ball for all comers.
Laughing Gull - Rónán McLaughlin
My friend Rónán then texted me a link, with the question "Is this your bird?".
As it turned out, a photographer had been down photographing gulls the previous evening, and there in several shots she had put out on Facebook (along with numerous other gulls) with a request for an ID, was the Laughing Gull!
Even more astoundingly...a member of the IRBC had responded and told her it was a Med Gull!!
My find had almost been a mere twitch!
I left Ireland that Spring, but the bird hung around, making a brief trip to Northern Ireland for a few weeks, before returning to Ballycotton for another winter.
I even got to see it again on a Christmas visit (with my wife and we found a bonus White-Billed Diver to boot!).
Laughing Gull - Ballycotton
Laughing Gull - Ballycotton - Rónán McLaughlin
The vast number of images of this bird, spread across two winters and plumages is a testament to it's long stay and the number of people who got to see it.
Since that time, there have been a handful of individuals but none nearly so site faithful.
My only regret is that despite significant effort, including during the 2005 influx, I never managed to dig out a Franklin's.
Some day perhaps.
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