Little Gull, Fairlands Valley Park, Stevenage, 8th March 2024

Little Gulls tend not to stay long in one place. They are passage birds, wintering in Western Europe and the Med and then heading to Northern Europe to breed. We tend to get smallish numbers passing through in Spring and Autumn. One was reported in the morning in Stevenage, and it lingered still so a quick trip up to see if it was still there. It was, but disappeared after I had been there for just under an hour. A very small, fast and tricky bird to photograph!

They are about 2/3 the size of Black-Headed Gulls and they did not take kindly to the visitor!

A really beautiful bird in a very unusual location!