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View Full Version : Albino Gull ?

John7
Friday 25th June 2004, 22:41
My friend took this picture for another member of the net, who asked that it be posted on this forum. It was taken at Pulborough on Sunday 20 June.
It was suggested that it is an albino black headed gull.

There are some more views if required.

John.
Bluetail
Friday 25th June 2004, 22:47
Your pic hasn't uploaded, John.

Instructions here - step 4 is very important:
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=9557
Stephen Dunstan
Friday 25th June 2004, 23:36
John,

Looks like it, or a leucistic one. An albino would have a pink eye, difficult to tell from the pic.

Regards,

Stephen.
Bluetail
Saturday 26th June 2004, 08:21
Agreed: albino (or maybe just leucistic) Black-headed Gull. Welcome to BirdForum, by the way.
very boring banned member
Thursday 1st July 2004, 08:09
Being an alien who has a lot to learn, would like to learn how to identify this bird?
RockyRacoon
Thursday 1st July 2004, 11:07
I SAW THAT BIRD! Was at RSPB Pulborough Brooks, and by any chance from the Nettley's hide on the North Brooks??
gthang
Thursday 1st July 2004, 21:07
How's about a very young Glaucous Gull?
gthang
Thursday 1st July 2004, 21:16
Just suggesting!

BIll looks right for a black-headed, but because there's almost no field marks, it could be a Franklin's Gull too...
Bluetail
Thursday 1st July 2004, 22:39
Hi gthang

Glaucous has a very different build: it's quite similar in size, build and bulk to a Great Black-backed Gull, so bigger and heftier than a Herring Gull. Besides, a first-year Glauc would be cookie-coloured (the second-years are paler).

Franklin's Gull would have a longer, stronger beak than this. It's a still a very rare bird indeed over here and on structure are more difficult for us to separate from Laughing Gull than Black-headed (there was confusion once over a summer-plumaged bird). The proporations and shape are entirely right for Black-headed Gull.


It's not albino as it doesn't have a pink eye, so it must be leucistic.Is it absolutely certain that it doesn't have a pink eye, Brian? Was it seen at close enough range? Genuine question since I didn't see the bird myself. I'm just thinking that even a pink eye would look dark at a distance.
mike coleman
Friday 2nd July 2004, 02:11
Totally different but strangely similar subject........

At Lochmaddy harbour on North Uist, Outer Hebrides, Scotland there is a leucistic Common Gull which looks very similar to an Ivory Gull if you're not expecting to see it. It would be a great quiz question if anybody has ever photographed it in an uncompromising pose...........
RockyRacoon
Friday 2nd July 2004, 16:03
VERY STRANGE! One Record in the reserve when I went was of a Glaucous Gull, we had theory and thought it couldn't be right, but it wasn't until now that I realised that the 'Glaucous Gull' was the Black-Headed Gull. The record was noted in a record book, when I was recording what I had seen!

(By the way I went of May 31st)

By the way I also can say it didn't have a pink eye
Michael Frankis
Friday 2nd July 2004, 16:49
Totally different but strangely similar subject........

At Lochmaddy harbour on North Uist, Outer Hebrides, Scotland there is a leucistic Common Gull which looks very similar to an Ivory Gull if you're not expecting to see it. It would be a great quiz question if anybody has ever photographed it in an uncompromising pose...........I once had a near-albino (all white plumage, tho' bare parts more-or-less normal colour) Kittiwake at North Shields (Northumberland) - if it wasn't for that (a) its shape was exactly Kittiwake, and (b) it was in the middle of summer, I'd have been really guessing . . .

Michael