Lesser black-backed gulls? (1 Viewer)

colonelboris

Right way up again

• Oct 14, 2006

• #1

Just updating the website and noticed something about the second gull on this page. Is this possibly a yellow-legged gull? The back seems very much lighter than the other bird on the page. If the second gull isn't yellow-legged and is a lesser black-backed, is there a chance that the first bird is ssp. fuscus as it's a lot darker?
I'm starting to agree with Jos' stance on 'big gull, small gull, Ross's gull and that's the lot...'
Cheers,

Tony

 

Dimitris

Birdwatcher in Oz

• Oct 14, 2006

• #2

Tis a LBBG I'm afraid. Y.L.G.s are bulkier around the head and bill and are a lighter blue grey on the wings.

Cheers!

Dimitris

 

colonelboris

Right way up again

• Oct 14, 2006

• #3

Dimitris said:

Tis a LBBG I'm afraid. Y.L.G.s are bulkier around the head and bill and are a lighter blue grey on the wings.

Cheers!

Dimitris

Click to expand...

Ah, that's much appreciated, Dimitris.
So what are the chances of the first bird being ssp. fuscus? It's a very dark bird, especially compared to the second.
I know nothing....

Cheers,

Tony

 

Gentoo

Guest

• Oct 14, 2006

• #4

First bird could be an intermedius but both are LBBG's. The second looks like a normal graellsii to me.

 

JANJ

Well-known member

• Oct 14, 2006

• #5

Hi Tony.

You shouldn´t agree with Jos . A challenge heigtens the spirit.

Your gulls are LBBG, the darker one is perhaps, due to lightning darker than in real life (?), or perhaps intermedius. The other one looks good for graellsii, both on plumage and structure. Upperpart tone is a bit variable in graellsii and photos makes it impossible to judge this accurately.

Look at these YLG and notice the head and bill shape in the vast majority of YLG.

http://www.gull-watching.com/album-127433.html

http://www.xs4all.nl/~daarruud/micha/micha4.html

http://www.xs4all.nl/~daarruud/micha/micha5.html

http://www.surfbirds.com/mb/Features/gulls/baltic-heuglins-gulls.html

http://www.surfbirds.com/mb/Features/gulls/LBB/lbb-gull.html

Hope this doesn´t confuse you more than it teaches you

JanJ

 

colonelboris

Right way up again

• Oct 14, 2006

• #6

Aha, cheers very much everyone.
I should maybe have compared the head shape to the one photo of a bird that I have from holidays, which was a ylg...
I wish I'd been into birding and photography when I had the money to travel...