Gulls - RSPB South Stack Anglesey (Yesterday 19/5/23) (1 Viewer)

[RichieTwitchy]

My other half captured these 2 gulls - the only photo sorry - and I was thinking for the gull on the right it's a Herring Gull and the gull to the left, going by its size to the other bird, and its seemingly smaller bill (but it could just be those blimmin artefacts again!), maybe a Kittiwake? Though I understand that its wing tips and legs cannot be seen so that does not help.

Anyhoo, still trying to learn my gulls so any input appreciated. Cheers.

(original photo - cropped - and colour altered photo below)

 

[Butty]

I'd call them both herring gulls. I think the apparent size difference is just down to posture/angle.

 

[jogresh]

Hi Richie, 2 Herring Gulls, perhaps a pair. I was just thinking literally 5 mins ago that I need to visit South Stack! Great place, and an old mate who I've not seen for years is doing a regular vis mig-type patching effort there too. 🙂👍🐦

 

[RichieTwitchy]

Cheers Butty and jogresh - and yes it is a great place and we also saw Fulmar, Chough, Razorbill, Guillemot etc and Red Kite too on the journey there.

And we had the weather with us - so all in all a really nice day

 

[THE_FERN]

Size difference might also be gender. Males are larger (i.e. opposite of raptors)

 

[01101001]

What features point against Common Gull?

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Hello,
after your interesting comment I looked again at the two Gulls:
the left one is hard indeed, but warm orange bill is bad for european Common Gulls, they have bright yellow bills at best (and many with a greenish tinge).
The right bird shows pink legs and large round white spots to primary tips (much smaller in Common Gull). And the red spot at the bill might be visible, but I am not sure, if this is an artefact or not.

Anyway, both are Herring Gulls for me too

 

[01101001]

I meant the left bird, mostly on bill shape (pointed, slight gonydeal angle), head size and maybe shape, and overall size. Thanks.

 

[Butty]

Common gull doesn't nest on cliffs.

 

[01101001]

nest

No, no, he's resting. Remarkable bird.

I know I've been there before, but I still can't see what you see that makes it a Herring Gull with the bill shape, much smaller size and seemingly sloping forehead.

 

[Butty]

No, no, he's resting.

I know. But common gull isnt normally there at all in the breeding season - nesting or resting.

I still can't see what you see that makes it a Herring Gull with the bill shape, much smaller size and seemingly sloping forehead.

See my comment above about factors affecting perception of relative size here; it's certainly not 'much smaller'. It's a poor and unreliable angle for assessing bill- and forehead-shape.

 

[01101001]

Point taken--would be a Larus sp. for me, then.

 

[THE_FERN]

Point taken--would be a Larus sp. for me, then.

No common gulls that pale mantled, taking lighting into account...

 

[Andy Hurley]

Left hand bird; is that a black foot, or shadow? The bill look different for me too. Why not Black legged Kittiwake?

 

[THE_FERN]

Left hand bird; is that a black foot, or shadow? The bill look different for me too. Why not Black legged Kittiwake?

It's possible. The lighting is a bit weird here: bills are too orangey. Taking that into account and given proximity to the right hand herring gull I thought probably another herring...

 

[Andy Hurley]

To me, and my colour perception is not very good, the bill of the left hand bird is slight, curved and bright yellow, but I'll readily concede on colour perception. The bill size, I know, appears to be tiny compared to the RH bird, which to me, looks like the Herring Gull folks think it is.

 

[01101001]

No experience with Kittiwake here, but if it's admittedly a bit off for a Common Gull and (according to my opinion) a bit off for a Herring Gull, then it could as well be a Kittiwake, maybe?

 

[Butty]

Kittiwake and common gull are both too much smaller than herring gull to fit the (apparent) slight size-difference here.

I think the apparent size difference is just down to posture/angle

Kittiwake has a markedly darker mantle than west-European herring gull. These two birds are the same.
All the reasons suggested above for the left-hand bird being other than a herring gull are easily countered (as in various earlier comments), so there's no good reason not to think that this is two herring gulls.