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.