16/02/2017 St Helens

Glaucous Gull: Thanks to the on going excellent efforts of some great local birders who have found and tracked some local Viking gulls, I have been able to add a few new birding sites to my local list.
One of which is Lyme Wood Pits Country Park and Landfill site and Penkford Flash near Haydock. Where I have been a few times this week without seeing any white winged gulls until today.
Mediterranean Gull: As soon as I arrived at Penkford Flash there were hundreds of gulls, however there is very little cover and the flash is pretty close to the pathway so inevitably the birds were flushed and didn't reappear. I still had time to fire away a couple of record shots of the juvenile Glauc before it disappeared with the rest of the flock.
Following the gull flocks there is usually a large mixed flock at Haydck Island near the fields past the Shell Petrol Station. Viewing is difficult as suggested it would be best on the West carriageway in a layby, but then your viewing across two busy lanes of traffic and over a hedge.
Still you can get a half decent view of the flock from here and although this time there where no Iceland or Glaucous Gulls amongst the flock I did mange to pick up an adult Mediterranean Gull in the stubble field right next to the layby.