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Big Gulls in Taiwan (1 Viewer)

A few updates for those with enough patience to persevere with this thread.

Mongolian Gulls first. The cracking 'typical' fresh first-winter (first photo) was around on and off this weekend, permitting more photos. It has been joined by a second, more cryptic individual (actually the fifth bird in #138 above) (remaining photos). This bird lacks much of a window in the inner primaries, but does have a row of pale spots there.

It is Mongolian rather than Taimyr due to completely replaced (white, rather than blue-grey) scapulars, no evidence of feather replacement in the wing, notches/patterns in the outer greater coverts, and a brownish look to the hand (it is pretty obvious where this bird is going the bleach).
 

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Some first-winter Taimyr Gulls from the weekend just gone...
 

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Some older Taimyr Gulls...
 

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Some adult (or near) Taimyr Gulls. The first bird is interesting as it has alomst finished its primary moult. The last bird has a large mirror P10 and an interestingly-patterned tip!
 

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Some adult Vega Gulls (much scarcer than Taimyr Gull in Taiwan). The first needs no explanation. The second has nice orange orbital skin around the eye (unlike the vinous-red of Taimyr). The third is more debatable with the pale orange tones to its legs, but I think a 'birulai'-type Vega Gull from very pale upperparts (too pale for any Taimyr), dull greenish bill base, and broad white subterminal crescent on the tongue of P6 at least.
 

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A couple of new first-winter Mongolian Gulls around this weekend.

The first (Pictures 1/2) has weakly marked new pale blue scapulars and signs of bleaching in the coverts already. The second snouty-looking individual (Photo 3) has more patterned scapulars but I could not get a good shot of its upperside. The original long-billed individual (Photo 4) also lingers, as does the huge individual (Photo 5) with the white scapulars (#141 above).
 

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A bunch of juveniles seem also to have turned up this week, and these are just baffling!

I assume the first two individuals to be Vega Gulls by virtue of coarsely-marked greater coverts and pale panels P1-5. The inner webs of these feathers also seem to have some mottling/marbling 'effect' going on there.

The next two I assume to be Taimyr Gulls by darker outer greater coverts (still patterned, though) and lack of any pale panel on the inner primaries. Otherwise, all four of these birds are frighteningly similar.

Perhaps more perplexing still is the fact that the presumed Taimyr Gulls look so different from a known Taimyr Gull (last bird) presumed to be of the same age!
 

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An adult presumed Taimyr Gull is also hanging around, one which has an oddly-marked P10 and a broad white tip to the tongue on P7. It seems much too dark for Vega Gull, though.
 

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