Confessions of a lapsed birder

Ivory Gull - South Kessock / Longman Sewage Outfall, Inverness, Highland, 20^th July 1995

After the mild (!!!!) disappointment of the Pallid Harrier and the fading prospect of Norfolk and its’ Serin and Collared Pratincole and optional (and as it turned out hypothetical) Great Black-headed Gull on the way, it all suddenly began to feel like fate when the news broke of an adult Ivory Gull at Inverness. I’d already arranged for the Friday off, and I then worked my escape so well that I left Creetown very early on Thursday 19th July – so early that I arrived back in South Queensferry before Gilly arrived back after an early shift. I chivvied her into some urgency on her return, and so we departed home by 14:45, and (so) arrived at Inverness by 17:00.

Unfortunately, nothing had been seen of the Ivory Gull for two hours by this time, and nothing we could do, including working the grim foreshore around the Kessock Bridge for some two or three hours, altered this depressing situation. Thwarted, we retired to Fortrose, and Chanory Point. We opted for a bed and breakfast in that part of the Black Isle.

The following morning news of the Ivory Gulls’ return cheered me greatly before breakfast. Better still, soon afterwards the news was updated and improved, apparently, as the bird was apparently at Kilmuir, on our side of the Beauly Firth.

Following a brief and close encounter with a Red Kite (as we drove down an enclosed beech avenue lane (?) towards Kilmuir it flew laboriously up the lane, and just over the car) we dipped at Kilmuir. We were similarly successful at Longman Sewage Outfall. However, we did meet Tony Collinson who was able to fill in the details of its earlier whereabouts, and we agreed we would to go back to South Kessock, where it had apparently been earlier on, and put out any positive news straight away on the pager. However, sure enough news came through that it was back at South Kessock.

As I was the bringer (or more accurately receiver) of the good news, in scenes reminiscent of Christchurch and the Little Bustard, we headed in convoy through North Inverness, towards the South Kessock Estate. We found the car park / information point beyond the estate, and here, other birders looking out over the seaweed-covered foreshore of the firth to an islet of pebbles beyond. Amongst the pebbles was a gleaming white bird – a gull, roosting, and occasionally, preening. We piled out of the car, and watched it for ages, just as drawn, by me, and apparently also by Martin Elliott. It just stayed there, just being brilliantly white, even whilst photographers edged closer, and closer and closer. Eventually, it took off, and flew around off South Kessock and then further up the firth, before returning, all the time in the ‘scope. It had a distinctive, languid flight. A description, at least of the plumage, seems somewhat superfluous it was just all white, with dark legs and two-tone bluey-grey and yellow bill. It was most like Common Gull in terms of size and shape, although it may have been bigger and was certainly heavier in build.

After some while showing well in flight, it disappeared out of sight back towards Longman Sewage Outfall, where it was later seen with other gulls. Gilly and I watched for ages, as befits such a star bird. Brilliant – a well-deserved tick after a long dry period!

So impressed were we that subsequently I put in a bid for a painting of the Ivory Gull by Martin Elliott, just as we had seen it. The painting was on offer on a closed bid basis as part of a competition in Birdwatch magazine. On our return from our Israel-Jordan-Egypt trip we found that we had been successful, and so now it hangs on my wall, in fitting tribute to the bird and a very enjoyable Highland weekend.

Subsequently, I saw a first-winter bird with Graham Clark and a young Ellen on a very cold day around New Year in 2002.