This is a YLG, right? (1 Viewer)

By over thinking it, a simple ID from earlier in the year with partial views has gone silly - hasn't it?

norfolknbirds.wordpress.com/ooo-missus

:smoke:

Looks like it, but I wouldn't rule out light LBB

YL Gull nailed on. It's a beast with really long legs and red eye ring, spot on mantle shade and decent primary pattern plus they are common enough in your neck of the woods. What's not to like??

In my book, it´s not likely a YLG. Reasons for that is:
1. To little black on the outer primaries
2. Even if some true YLG shows a thinner black mark on p5 (both webs).
3. Orbital ring shows to much yellow (on my scren), should be obviously red and broader
in front of the eye on adult YLG by now.
4. Bill dimension, with red not reaching upper mandible (not in all YLG).
All in all it suggest a yellow-legged Herring, probably argetatus.

JanJ

no rule without exception, thing. the matter is a bit more complex.
yes, exceptional YLG can even lack a p5 mark.
yes, exceptional yellow-legged HG can have a solid p5 mark.
wings in baltic HG can be as long as in the subject bird.
baltic argentatus can have bright crimson red orbitals.
mantle shade of southern baltic HG usually paler than northern argentatus and YLG but slightly variable. usually a combination of structural and plumage features allows a good ID.
in your bird all these come to a crossover point leaving much room for subjective assessements. indeed, underwing seems to show less black than we'd like to see on a "good" mich. indeed, p5 mark looks a bit thin. indeed, bill doesn't strike as being the typical blunt and heavy mich bill with a lot of red around gonys.
but: it looks dark on mantle, long legged, yellow of legs is brighter than in most 'omissus' type HG, p9 mirror and apical spots are small for argentatus.
head shape has more the HG look than the typical mich look. still, i'd not go too much on that. i'm not 100% positive but this bird looks more like a YLG to me than a HG. it could be also a hybrid or hybrid backcross though (HG x LBBG or YLG x LBBG or YLG x HG) impossible to prove...

Thank you all - it is obviously not any easy one - there is a snippet of info at the bottom of this rambling blogpost and a link to some small pictures of what might be the same bird.