Hoppity

Another trip to the seaside today, this time to Westcliff-on-Sea / Southend-on-Sea. There's a Mediterranean gull colony at the end of Southend Pier and there's a Ring-billed Gull that hangs round outside Rossi's Ice Cream Parlour.

RCB has blipped a Mediterranean Gull, but I bring you Hoppity the Turnstone. Poor Hoppity has a poorly foot and while all his mates are out turning over stones he can be found at the end of the pier picking up scraps from the fishermen. We were chatting to one who'd made the trip all the way from Dungeness to catch Shore Crabs to take back to use as fishing bait when over comes Hoppity. He checked out around the fishing gear and under the seat and came away with the remains of a small sprat. I bet none of his mates found any sprats under their stones. I think life's not too bad at the end of the pier for Hoppity.

We walked back along the pier (at 1.33 miles long Southend Pier is the World's longest pleasure Pier) then onto Rossi's, but I'm afraid the Ring-bill didn't fancy an Ice Cream today.