Clover's Return

With yet more chores to attend to today my chances to get some birding in were looking grim. However, I did manage to grab a few moments at Clover Point - well, we were driving past; it would have been rude not to stop...

Offshore, there were plenty of pigeon guillemots kicking around, plus a few rhinoceros auklet. A lone western grebe made an appearance and there were buffleheads and harlequin ducks in good numbers.
Just one pair of black oystercatcher were seen and a group of 19 black turnstone were feeding on the windblown rocky shoreline.
Looking through the baffling mix of messy gulls, I found one interesting individual. In many ways it was good for western - jet black primary tips, yellow orbital ring, pale flecked ochre iris - but it had a mantle colour barely a shade darker than the more typical glaucous-winged gulls. What fun these mongrel larids can be!

Of note - not had any hummers visiting my newly erected feeder yet, although interestingly, a bush tit came in for a drink... Sadly my other feeders will have to remain in storage, as our landlords won't allow anything that could entice rodents. Shame, as I was really looking forward to hanging cheese from the nearby apple trees.