1cy LBBG/HG, Finland (1 Viewer)

Hi!

I saw this 1cy LBBG/HG today 28th September in Pori, SW-Finland. The bird in question is the one on the left, others are, from left to right 1cy LBBG, 1cy HG and 3cy HG.
It has few features that i find odd for LBBG;
- quite short wings, shorter than in many HG's it was accompanying
- more renewed scaps than i've seen in any LBBG this time of year
- Herring-type markings in new scaps which i don't recognise seeing in LBBG before

In flight it looks like standard LBBG, so i guess it is one. But is the state of moult and pattern in new scaps unusual, or is it just my lack of experience again? Or is this very small and weak billed dark Herring female?

very odd!
it got to be a baltic gull though. it has very dark inner primaries (no window at all), quite typical covert pattern, weak bill and the paler median and greater underwing coverts are also pretty typical for nominate fuscus.
but i haven't seen such an advanced baltic gull in early autumn either! let's check what ORG says about...it only shows 1-2 birds with a few mantle feathers replaced.
i hope you don't mind me linking this to gull-research-talk, probably this is of interest for many gullers and we might get to know if and how frequent such advanced birds occure..: http://www.talk.gull-research.org/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=598

thanks for sharing.

lou salomon said:

i hope you don't mind me linking this to gull-research-talk, probably this is of interest for many gullers and we might get to know if and how frequent such advanced birds occure..: http://www.talk.gull-research.org/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=598

thanks for sharing.

Click to expand...

NP!

Here's one more pic showing other side of the bird. I'll try to get some more photos if it's still present tomorrow.