gulls - Norfolk UK, Oct 2023 (2 Viewers)

[postcardcv]

Spent some time at the beach yesterday amongst others I grabbed a couple of shots of this gull. Just cannot make it click in my brain so if someone could put me out of my misery that would be good. Third shot is (obviously) a different bird - helps on the ageing of it would be appreciated. Also if anyone has any suggestions on a good book to help me get my head around gulls as there is always an odd bird or two...

 

[Harrybongo]

Spent some time at the beach yesterday amongst others I grabbed a couple of shots of this gull. Just cannot make it click in my brain so if someone could put me out of my misery that would be good. Third shot is (obviously) a different bird - helps on the ageing of it would be appreciated. Also if anyone has any suggestions on a good book to help me get my head around gulls as there is always an odd bird or two...

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Hi. I'm no gull expert, but the third pic looks like a 3rd Winter Herring gull, and pics 1&2 may be a 2nd Winter??

 

[postcardcv]

Hi. I'm no gull expert, but the third pic looks like a 3rd Winter Herring gull, and pics 1&2 may be a 2nd Winter??

That is what I had the third image.

The overall tone of it was very different to the other herring gulls around in the area. I'm happy for it to be a herring gull just trying to work out why it is what it is.

 

[Prestdj]

firstly im no expert on gulls but have learnt a lot of people on this forum

the first 2 photos

so general brown feathers the main feature is the "primary flash" which is very pale in herring gull

your bird in the first 2 photos looks similar to a common gull dainty head and bill bicoulered

the first photo shows the classic primary flash (between the primaries and secondaries)

3rd photo is a 3rd cycle herring gull in moult with flat bellied look the head pattern could indicate some northern genes

gulls are hard unless your at the seaside they do my head in but making progress

as for books

gulls of europe the photo one is good