Gull-Long time ago_ February 2012, Texel , Netherlands (1 Viewer)

[Joern Lehmhus]

I had considered this adult bird to be a Caspian gull at that time - but given experiences in Germany in recent years and also several threads at BF here , I wonder if that was correct and if a hybrid could savely be excluded ...
I didnt get any photos as the bird always seemed to avoid getting too close to humans - but I managed a drawing allthough my fingers nearly fell off (very cold snowy conditions). The bird appeared much more slender and longlegged than the herring gulls though of similar size , larger than the also present single Iceland gull. It was darker eyed than the Herring gulls and appeared rather longwinged. I think the wing pattern fits to Caspian gull, but I am no expert here...
It opened and raised its wings when threatening other gulls and calling.

 

[lou salomon]

you can safely assume it was a Caspian Gull, Jörn. i know your drawings are accurate. Such long tongues to outer primaries together with bill structure (female type if drawn correctly) and long tibia are pretty decisive. Of course F2 and so on hybrids hardly can be excluded as they ofte look like one of the parent species but hybridization was only going on in Poland at that time, just a few in Saxonia and none in Holland.

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

Thanks Lou, that is good to know ....
However I assumed that a Caspian gull in a harsh winter in the Netherlands at that time must have been coming from the east, so Poland as origin was a possibility? Therefore I had my doubts later on , and when I just today went through the old trip records today I thought to post it ...