Mystery birds

[Harry Hussey]

Hi all,
Here are a few of my own miserable efforts.I'm looking for the preening bird in the top photo in the first block.
Harry H

C:\My Documents\My Pictures\scan1.jpg
C:\My Documents\My Pictures\scan2.jpg

[Harry Hussey]

Help,I can't get the pics up!!
Harry H
Hi all,
Here are a few of my own miserable efforts.I'm looking for the preening bird in the top photo in the first block.
Harry H

http://us.f100.mail.yahoo.com/ym/ShowLetter/scan1.jpg?box=Inbox&MsgId=5997_1854463_12119_934_237311_0_36365_318965 _1393342568&bodyPart=2&filename=scan1.jpg&tnef=&YY=33938&order=down&sort=date&pos=0&view=a&head=b

http://us.f100.mail.yahoo.com/ym/ShowLetter/scan2.jpg?box=Inbox&MsgId=5997_1854463_12119_934_237311_0_36365_318965 _1393342568&bodyPart=3&filename=scan2.jpg&tnef=&YY=33938&order=down&sort=date&pos=0&view=a&head=b

[robinm]

Hi all,
Here are a few of my own miserable efforts.I'm looking for the preening bird in the top photo in the first block.
Harry H

http://us.f100.mail.yahoo.com/ym/ShowLetter/scan1.jpg?box=Inbox&MsgId=5997_1854463_12119_934_237311_0_36365_318965 _1393342568&bodyPart=2&filename=scan1.jpg&tnef=&YY=33938&order=down&sort=date&pos=0&view=a&head=b

http://us.f100.mail.yahoo.com/ym/ShowLetter/scan2.jpg?box=Inbox&MsgId=5997_1854463_12119_934_237311_0_36365_318965 _1393342568&bodyPart=3&filename=scan2.jpg&tnef=&YY=33938&order=down&sort=date&pos=0&view=a&head=b
Try this (http://us.f100.mail.yahoo.com/ym/ShowLetter/scan1.jpg?box=Inbox&MsgId=5997_1854463_12119_934_237311_0_36365_318965 _1393342568&bodyPart=2&filename=scan1.jpg&tnef=&YY=33938&order=down&sort=date&pos=0&view=a&head=b) and this (http://us.f100.mail.yahoo.com/ym/ShowLetter/scan2.jpg?box=Inbox&MsgId=5997_1854463_12119_934_237311_0_36365_318965 _1393342568&bodyPart=3&filename=scan2.jpg&tnef=&YY=33938&order=down&sort=date&pos=0&view=a&head=b)

Actually it still doesn't work - I don't think you can link to something in the Yahoo mail system as you need to supply a user name and password.

[Jane Turner]

You are going to have to upload them here Harry.

[digi-birder]

Help,I can't get the pics up!!
Harry H

Hi Harry,

You click on Manage Attachments in the area below your text entry box and then browse for the image you want to upload. Once the file appears in the list click All Done.

[Harry Hussey]

Hi all,
This should work.
Harry H

[Grousemore]

I think Jane should have first shot at these!

[digi-birder]

Good luck, is all I can say!

[CJW]

I can see a Great Shearwater, but that is the only one I'm even thinking about having a guess at.

[Jasonbirder]

Well I can guess anything as I haven`t a clue!
Perhaps
1. Goldeneye (left) & Gulls including Greater Black-backed (right)???
2.Guillemot???
3. Can barely see a bird in that one! Kestrel???

4. Herring Gull???

[Harry Hussey]

Hi all,
Firstly,apologies for having scanned the first three as a block:the initial photographs are poor enough without being sized down as well!
Clue:all of the birds were photographed in Co.Cork.The preening bird in Photo 1(top)is the one that I'm looking for.
No-one has more than one right so far....
Harry H

[peteh]

4. glaucous gull?

[Jane Turner]

I'm with CJW, I can only see one bird in the left hand pics and that looks to be Great Shearwater.

The gull appears to have a shedload of white in its mirrors on the right wing, but also some black. I've seen hybrid Glauc/Herrring look like that. If the upperparts were darker I'd have a go for a northern argentatus Herring Gull (pseudo omissus) but it looks pale mantled, so I'll stick at hybrid glauc for now.

I'm going to have to play with the images as see if I can see any birds!

[Jane Turner]

Ok, assuming the left hand bird in the top shot is A GBBG, then the preening bird is a big gull (actually it looks like a dirty juv swan!)

I think it might be an American Herring Gull, 1st winter....

[Harry Hussey]

Hi all,
Still nobody with more than one right!The bird in the bottom photo of the first block(Photo 3)is to the left of the white plastic bag....
The preening bird in Photo 1 is a gull.
Harry H

[Jane Turner]

Is the bird in front of the ship a Kumlein's then? ....and the preener... well its big and ugly enough to be a glauc, though it looks like a dirty grey plastic bag.

I still can't find a bird in the bottom pic

[Jasonbirder]

1. Herring Gull
2. Great Shearwater
3. Kestrel
4. Ring-billed Gull (only because i don`t want to put herring gull twice)

[Jane Turner]

I'm a bit of an ignoramus on Irish records... has there been a Thayer's Gull in Cork?

[Harry Hussey]

Hi all,
STILL only one right!No-one has even come close to the genus of No.3(not surprising,as it's the worst photo!).
No.1 may not be quite as large as some think....
Harry H

[Harry Hussey]

Hi Jane,
"I'm a bit of an ignoramus on Irish records... has there been a Thayer's Gull in Cork?"
There was a juv.Thayer's in Cork in early 1990,but at the time I wouldn't have even heard of one!I've never seen Thayer's(unless a controversial 2nd-w type large gull at the Lough in 1999 was one,which it may well have been),and all the photos are mine....
Harry H

[CJW]

Here's an easier quiz than Harry's mental ;) one:

I'm thinking of a bird, what is it?

Only Kidding H, I can't see the bird next to the placcy bag, no matter what I try in photoshop to enhance it. You sure there's one there?

[Harry Hussey]

Hi Chris,
Yes,there's a bird there!Clearly visible in the original pic,but scanning hasn't helped matters.Think:given the darkness of the background,then why can't you see it...?
Harry H

[Harry Hussey]

Hi all,
Surprised that nobody has guessed correctly for No.4,btw:the photo has come out quite well!
Harry H

[Joern Lehmhus]

My first try
1. Herring gull and Great black backed gull and something else
2. Razorbill
3.Blackbird
4. Hybrid Herring-Glaucous gull

[Jane Turner]

Which side of the plastic bag is the bird in pic 3, I am still to have a conclusive sighting!

[Harry Hussey]

Hi Joern,
One correct.
Harry H

[Harry Hussey]

Hi Jane,
The bird in Photo 3 is to the left of the plastic bag!
Harry H

[Jane Turner]

oh dear, I just about convinced my self I'd found a bird to the right, at the end of the crak in the paving stone.

[Jane Turner]

1. *waves white flag
2.I'm going to stick with Great Shearwater... the only other thing I could imagine that being it Long-tailed Skua

3 I'm going to clutch at straws and guess that Joern got the Blackbird, which I still am to see right!

4. Stumped.... if its not Herring x Glauc, or Iceland/Kumleins, perhaps its Iceland x Herring. It doesn't look too big, its pale mantles and it has a lot of dusskiness, apparently onlty in the undersaide of the wing

[Harry Hussey]

Hi Jane,
No.1 is an immature "large" gull(though not as large as some)....
No.2 is a Great Shearwater photographed on a pelagic off of Cobh 3 years ago.
No.3 is a Blackbird.
No.4 doesn't look too big because it wasn't!It's also a full biological species of long standing,no need to invoke hybrids....
Harry H

[CJW]

Come on Jane, shape yourself, it's to the left. Can't miss it......

[peteh]

Right, I will try a mix of posts to try and fudge the correct answer. :)

1. iceland gull
2. great shearwater
3. blackbird
4. ring billed gull.

[Harry Hussey]

Hi all,
Someone now on 3(oh,what a giveaway!)
Harry H

[Jane Turner]

So I am Guessing that the either the apparent pure white primaries on the left wing (upper surface) or the apparent black on the mid sections of the right wing is an artefact.

If its the left wing... then It could be a Common Gull, but I'd worry about the mantle colour..... It looks to have too much white in the primaries on the left wing for a ring-billed..
OK Common Gull.

And Iceland Gull for 1

[Harry Hussey]

Hi Jane,
4 out of 4!Thought that the amount of white on the tip of P10 of the Common Gull combined with the impression of being a smaller gull would have made it the easiest of the four!
Harry H

[Jane Turner]

Its the apparent all white left wing and paler upper sthat was the problem