Llanilid + Burry Holms

Started Saturday early at Llanilid when I walked across to the owl field in the dark and got in position with my baghide by 07.30 in the hope of photographing Hen Harriers which are wintering in the area having seen two "ringtails" late pm on a previous visit.
At 08.00 a single "ringtail" appeared over the owl field but did not stay and moved off south-east,I stayed in position until 10.00 and then decided to move down to the south fenceline dispensing with the hide.
No sooner had I packed away the hide when another "ringtail" appeared from nowhere and perched up on the east fenceline allowing me a record shot,I would have been closer with the hide but not an awful lot closer so wasn't too disappointed.

I'd spoken with fellow "togger" Peter "Pedro" Morgan and met up at Sarn at 12.15 to head down to Burry Holms at the north of Llangennith beach hoping to connect with the few rare gulls discovered there in the last week or so.
We rolled up just before high tide greeted by some familier faces but dipped on the putative Thayer's Gull which had shown briefly before we arrived but got on to the juv Kumlien's Gull which was a "tick" for Peter.
Big thanks to Sid and Colin for the look through their 'scopes.
The viewing couldn't have been worse as the congregation of gulls was about 200m away and almost directly into the setting sun but I did manage a "record" shot of the Kumlien's Gull,it's the paler gull and the only sitting gull in the photograph.

Just around the corner from the island was a nice little cove housing Fulmars and Kittiwakes which were a little more obliging than the gulls and I was pleased to get some better photos although the strong sunlight made things tricky.

We finally gave up on the gulls and on the 25min walk back along the beach managed to connect with a Meadow Pipit and a couple of Sanderling nicely lit in the low,late afternoon setting sun.