Little Gull in centre of group, another to the right on 'final approach'. Blue cast due to photo being taken from a distance, through a window, on an iPhone, and before I had my coffee this morning. Probably mostly the coffee thing. 5 kids here, enjoying what is hopefully the last of their 'snow days' at the expense of my hearing, so retouching will have to wait!

You know times are hard...

... when you start seeing sea-birds in the back garden, this far from the coast. We're right in the middle of the country, and we have some unusual visitors fighting off the Starlings and (less successfully) Rooks. My 'Collins Complete Irish Wildlife' - a good one for Christmas! - identifies them as 'Little Gulls'. According to the guide, they are the World's smallest gulls, and they don't even nest in Ireland. So I can only assume the poor little perishers have been as discombobulated by the weather as the rest of us, keep the grub coming, and hope they find their own way home when things settle a bit. Not easy to get a decent photo as they spook easily, but if I get something useable I'll post it.