Yellow-legged gull? Poland (1 Viewer)

[Michał Jaro]

I found a group of gulls - this time I think it is Yellow legged gulls (Larus michahellis). Massive beaks, very dark underwing coverts - or so? For now I am uploading photos of two individuals.

 

[Michał Jaro]

another couple of

 

[Andy Hurley]

I think they are too. My aging is not so good, but 3CY looks likely, may be retarded 4 CY. Look foward to expert comments though.

 

[lou salomon]

as per ageing: 1st individual is a 3cy, all other individuals are 2cy (with juvenile primaries and a moult gap at inner 1-3 primaries which are shed, so, beginning of 2nd cycle).
I can't confirm YLG in any of these birds which doesn't mean they aren't. the last bird surely looks much better for a cachinnans (on bill shape and head jizz), note that they can have well marked underwings, too. as for the other birds, without a dorsal view of tail and upper wing it is not easy to separate 2cy YLG from cachinnans x argentatus hybrids which they could be. 2nd bird looks good for cachinnans too.

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Thanks Lou for commenting! I had a look at the pictures yesterday and I realized that they are "above my pay-grade"-Gulls.

 

[Michał Jaro]

Many thanks, especially for Lou - as always with gull problems unfortunatelly I have no better pictures (dorsal view) .