Sabine's gull, Flint Castle

The Hudsonian godwit which was at Burton Mere Wetlands has proved a bit elusive since I saw it last Tuesday. Not seen for the rest of the week, it reappeared at BMW on Sunday and was still present on Monday morning before disappearing again on Monday afternoon. Rumours abounded that on the days that it wasn't seen, it was actually at Connahs Quay Nature Reserve which is members only and these rumours were probably fueled by the fact that this was where the bird was initially found on the Monday before I saw it.

Yesterday afternoon it was seen on the saltmarsh at Flint Castle so I decided to call in for a look today, not really expecting to see it again, but just because I'd never been to this area before and a saltmarsh with a castle seemed quite an appealing proposition on a beautiful sunny day.

It proved a very worthwhile visit because as high tide approached I was amazed to see a cracking adult breeding plumage Sabine's gull flying straight towards me from the east, before turning north and heading towards the mouth of the estuary. Pretty sure this is my first self found Sabine's gull, certainly at an 'inland' location such as this. Of course I realise that Flint is on a coastal estuary and not really inland, but neither is it open ocean where we might normally expect to see Sabine's gull. It was a really fabulous bird which I was very surprised to see because there have been no recent gales to blow the bird so far into the estuary. However, they do occasionally occur inland especially in August and in 2015 one spent about two weeks at Pennington Flash, just outside Horrock's hide.

No sign of the Hudsonian godwit for me today, but as well as the Sabine's gull I did manage a whimbrel on the mud flats and a wood sandpiper on my way home at Hale.

An impressive place, apparently the first castle in Wales to be built by Edward I. 

It's out there somewhere.

Beluga!