gulls (3 Viewers)

tittletattler · Apr 9, 2012

Hi Lou et al,

This gull is bugging me.....

I'm sure it's a Yellow-legged Gull. Herring in this sort of plumage would show white primary tips.

So, 3 cyr Yellow-leg?

Cheers,

Andy.

lou salomon · Apr 9, 2012

hm, those very pink legs are worrying. i'm more inclined to call it an advanced 3cy herring gull, anyhow a dark and abnormal plumaged bird. isn't it possible for herring gulls to show a grey MC bar right now? well, mantle seems very dark and head shape is square but i don't give much on that since all male large gulls can have square heads when relaxed. how was the iris colour? apical spots should be there in a normal 3cy YLG too (smalller and often worn off at this time of year, largest in p3-4)).
this ind. generally looks very worn.

and that's surely the male type 2cy casp to the right if it

tittletattler · Apr 9, 2012

lou salomon said:
hm, those very pink legs are worrying. i'm more inclined to call it an advanced 3cy herring gull, anyhow a dark and abnormal plumaged bird. isn't it possible for herring gulls to show a grey MC bar right now? well, mantle seems very dark and head shape is square but i don't give much on that since all male large gulls can have square heads when relaxed. how was the iris colour? apical spots should be there in a normal 3cy YLG too (smalller and often worn off at this time of year, largest in p3-4)).
this ind. generally looks very worn.

and that's surely the male type 2cy casp to the right if it

Certainly is the Casp in the mix. :t:

The darker bird: I first noticed it from half a mile away it stood out so much from the Herrings and LBBGs on the recycling centre roof. Very dark and long-winged (the latter point not so obvious in the pics perhaps). If it was a Herring, it would be 4cyr+ and surely would have apical spots. Per 'Gullresearchorg', 3cyr YLG can lack yellow legs and white apical spots (the latter point typically).

Cheers, Andy.

lou salomon · Apr 9, 2012

could well be a YLG but something's odd - beside that the whole bird is oddly plain.

tittletattler · Apr 9, 2012

lou salomon said:
could well be a YLG but something's odd - beside that the whole bird is oddly plain.

Yeah, very oddly plain. Exactly what I thought.

Cheers,

Andy.

tittletattler · Apr 19, 2012

Hi all,

Does anyone have contact details for Bruce Mactavish in US/Canada please?

Many thanks,

Andy.

lou salomon · Apr 19, 2012

found this email adress, on the net: [email protected]

http://www.moumn.org/temp/Slaty-backed_Gull.html#comments

tittletattler · Apr 20, 2012

lou salomon said:
found this email adress, on the net: [email protected]

http://www.moumn.org/temp/Slaty-backed_Gull.html#comments

Thanks Lou!

Clive Griffin · Apr 20, 2012

Can anyone ID this gull please? Digiscoped on Mallorca yesterday, only got 2 shots off before it flew, so I have no more details.
Clive.

Armin Kreusel · Apr 21, 2012

Looks like an Armenian Gull

lou salomon · Apr 21, 2012

it's a 4/5cy michahellis. large dark bill marks in this age class are not at all rare.
structurally wrong for armenian and most armenian have dark irides. bill in armenian usually is shorter and stubbier, forehead steaper.

Clive Griffin · Apr 22, 2012

Thanks, Armin and Lou,
I was hoping for Armenian, but a local expert identified this as a 4th year michahellis, so confirms Lou's ID. I expected dirty marks on the back of the neck for michahellis, but this one looks clean white like an adult.
Clive.

lou salomon · Apr 22, 2012

there's one brown tipped lesser covert which confirms the impression of a 4cy that you get by large black bill mark and dull yellow legs.

Clive Griffin · Apr 23, 2012

Wow, you certainly know your gulls Lou. Many thanks.

lou salomon · May 13, 2012

a taste of danube delta...

once again on my guiding tour through romania i shot quite some pics of cachinnans, unfortunately most in really bad quality since i didn't have time to learn my new camera...and of course couldn't take time to get in real gull 'shooting' situation while guiding.

a record of this tour consisted in 9 gull species:

ichtyaetus
melanocephalus
minutus
ridibundus
genei
canus
fuscus
michahellis
cachinnans

a taste of them starting with the "queen" in nuptial dress - their closest breeding island is a new islet one formed by fluvial deposit right on the border of ukraine and romania (of course both countries claim it to be their territory - how else could it have been - and :-O:-Oin the end a sheppard is claiming the islet for his own to grase its few cattle :-O)

Jane Turner · May 15, 2012

You know that is one gull that I could get enthusiastic about.

Cristian Mihai · May 27, 2012

Jupiter (Mangalia), May 27th 2012.

lou salomon · May 27, 2012

as i told you ba mail - nice example of 2cy baltic with delayed moult and thus no moult gap between p7 and p8. :clap::clap:

Cristian Mihai · May 28, 2012

Thank aou

for comment, Lou.

lou salomon · Jun 1, 2012

cachs from "St. George", danube delta

http://lou.bertalan.de/gulls/m_newest.php

i've started to upload the new set of pics made on 2 days (30.04. and 1.05.) around sfantu gheorghe, danube delta.
again, the many dark individuals are striking.
read texts for unusual traits.

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