a Gull description (1 Viewer)

Seen 11.05.05,
early morning (5.45-6.00), over a saltmarsh in southern France, 20min from Montpellier (between Frontignan and Sète)
seen only from distance:
two white headed gulls, wing pattern on upperwing similar to adult Blackheaded Gull, underwing not clearly seen, head and body shape as well as flight pattern ressembling Yellowlegged Gull (which were also present in several individuals and clearly bigger), sometimes more like Gull-billed Tern (which was also present in one individual and seemed about the same size , perhaps slightly smaller)

Bill colour and leg colour not seen over the distance....

To summarize it: most of the time these birds had the jizz of a big gull, which they clearly weren´t.

So what´s your opinion? If it is what I think it is it were a new species for me , but the viewing conditions were not ideal due to distance- so I´d like to hear the opinion of people experienced with the species I am thinking of and with possible confusion possibilities...


Jörn

Well, the wing pattern would lead to only one conclusion, right? I would guess the headshape would not give such a "large gull" expression though... they are rather slender (but from a large distance... OK). The species you mean breeds in the Camargue!

Get down to Saintes Marie de la Mer and see loads of these gulls. Also pick up a variety of everything else as well. Cracking place. Drive down from Arles, not far from where you are. Hope you have sorted this gull with particular beak feature by now,
Jono

that'd be my guess too. can you give any size estimation - rel. to the yellow-legged? any details of bill-length and - especiallly... "thinness"?
tschiirs,

Hi Lou, Jono, Xenospiza,
as you all saw, it was slenderbilled gull I was thinking of. I only had my bins so I cannot give you details of bill length etc - it was quite some distance I had the impression it was not as light coloured than the bill of the YLgulls.

Also these two birds were never close to the yellowlegged gulls, but at first to the gullbilled tern-about the same size as that, perhaps slightly bigger.

A very rough guess compared with the background of reedbeeds and bushes (Tamarix sp) let me think their wingspan was between half and 2/3 of YL Gulls

I compared the head shape with big gulls because it looked somehow flatter and more stretched than in Blackheaded or in Common gull...

then probably you had genei - awfull tick, i'd still put it with an "?".

that´s exactly what I do....sadly I couldn´t get any nearer