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Big Gulls in Taiwan (2 Viewers)

Great stuff, cheers.

Thanks Jogresh!

Black-tailed Gulls don't really qualify as a big gull, but some are showing up now. Hopefully this is a sign of migration and bigger numbers of gulls to come through in the next few weeks. Two first-winters and an adult are attached.
 

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Only one adult taimyrensis would come close at my small harbour again today, though a dozen or so were lounging around offshore.

Attached: Adult taimyrensis (ID'd by mid-dark grey mantle, single mirror P10 (with tiny mirror P9), poorly contrasting black wingtip, dark grey hand (from below), underside of P10 with short diagonal tongue, and fairly bright yellow bill and legs).
 

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I wanted to post some Slaty-backed Gulls, but haven't come across all that many yet so far this year. The first reason for this is that my coastal site (a sandbar) has become popular with fishermen and fewer and fewer gulls are willing to settle on it. The second is that it is has always been somewhat 'hit and miss' anyway, with often nothing there at all. This year seems to be a bit of a poor one.

I did get one striking first-winter earlier in the month, though, a very bleached affair. Slaty-backed Gulls seem to be very prone to bleaching, and most 'white' things turning up at this time of year turn out to be Slaty-backeds. Other useful characteristics are the big eye of first-winters, the thick, droopy cigar-shaped bill, the dark belly patch (always the last thing to go), and lack of patterning in the tail (solid, whether bleached or not).

Additionally, Slaty-backed Gulls when stood adopt a wide-legged stance. Coupled with their shortish rear ends, this gives them a look something almost akin to a Northern Shoveler!

Attached: First-winter Slaty-backed Gull (ID'd by broad head, dark belly patch, excessive bleaching, and solid tail band).
 

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As if being rationed, I have been permitted precisely one second-winter Slaty-backed Gull this spring. Slaty-backed Gulls are striking at this age (and very 'Hitchcock' too), with new saddle contrasting with old wing, very pale eye, and lots of dirty/dusky marks around the eye (creating fierce/brooding look), on the neck sides, and more randomly below (though especially belly).

Attached: Second-winter Slaty-backed Gull (ID'd by dark saddle, retained old (bleached) wing, very pale eye, extensive dusky below).
 

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I have had two adult (or near) Slaty-backed Gulls this month, but only one that would be photographed. A couple of interesting things about them might be that they are not always as dark as seems to be suggested in the literature (about as dark as 'dark-end' taimyrensis (so heuglini)) and often they do not appear especially large.

They're straightforward to ID, though, with 'tubular' body, dark saddle, broad white trailing edge, dark under-primaries and under-secondaries, and very pale eye. Not all show a good 'string of pearls', but the bird attached is probably not fully adult yet.

Attached: Adult (or near) Slaty-backed Gull (ID'd by shape/structure, dark saddle, broad white trailing edge, dark underside to flight feathers, and very pale eye).
 

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Thanks for keeping this post updated day by day, with news pics.
They are very useful!

Keep it going Steve! Especially wirh pics about immature taymirensis, mongolicus and vegae

I linked this post on The "Western Palearctic Gulls Group" on Facebook!
 
Thanks very much again. I'm not especialy keen on Facebook!

If both are first-winters, then I would be fairly confident that neither could be mongolicus. The window in both is not very prominent (the trailing edge is not broken by a broad area of white as in the other mongolicus above) and the greater coverts that have not been replaced do not look patterned/white/bleached/old as they should do in mongolicus.

I guess the answer to your question must be 'Yes', then (?!)

Agree that 'taimyrensis' type is best here for the reasons made!

JanJ
 
Today's birds were thoroughly predictable at first, but contained quite a shock towards the end!

First, two more first-winter taimyrensis. Unfortunately, I couldn't get nice upperside shots of the first bird, but did rather better with the second. I'm still very uncertain if I am ageing these birds correctly, but would expect paler and more contrasting inner primaries on any second-winter, together with a pink bill tip. If I am ageing them correctly, then it is quite remarkable how quickly taimyrensis acquires more adult-like plumage characteristics!

Attached: First-winter taimyrensis (ID'd by poorly patterned outer greater coverts, indistict pale window, contrasting unmarked white uppertail, active moult to first-winter/first-summer).
 

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A dozen or so adult (or near adult) taimyrensis around my small harbour. These birds all fit my Gestalt of taimyrensis nicely, with pale eye, mid-dark grey upperparts, lots of black in the wingtip, small mirror P10 (sometimes much smaller mirror P9), dark 'hand' from below, dirty marks on the nape, and bright bare parts. The underside of P10 typically has a short diagonal tongue, but the last bird shows that variation is possible!
 

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The gorgeous big first-winter Common Gull also put in an appearance, but I never managed to get it at the right kind of angle, despite it coming much closer. It was joined by an adult when it moved offshore, but too far away to do much with.
 

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I was so occupied with trying to get better shots of the Common Gull that I almost missed the 'oddball' when it turned up. In fact, I only picked it out in my 'bins when it was feeding against the sun and the wingtip pattern was just striking! Fortunatley, I had (unwittingly) managed to get some shots of it when all the gulls were nearer. What, exactly, do you make of this?

(I have posted blow-ups of this bird here: http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=340337. It is clearly paler than any of the taimyrensis it is with, slightly smaller, and with shorter arm and proportonally broader wing. It had a fish in its throat for all the time it was flying around, making its throat bulge.)
 

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Thanks for keeping this post updated day by day, with news pics.
They are very useful!

Keep it going Steve! Especially wirh pics about immature taymirensis, mongolicus and vegae

I linked this post on The "Western Palearctic Gulls Group" on Facebook!

Thanks again for the comments. I can supplement this thread with photos from the same time last year if sandbar birds fail to show. I'll take a look at the birds you link to, but the poster seems to like to put a lot of individuals on in one go, making it quite a lot to chew on!
 
Agree that 'taimyrensis' type is best here for the reasons made!

JanJ

Thanks, Jan.

First-winters of taimyrensis seem to be able to resemble anything from a juvenile to a second-winter, all at the same time of year. As if these birds weren't difficult enough!
 
A disappointing way to end the bank holiday here today back at my small harbour. The bird with the thayeri wingtip failed to show, and it was hot and sunny to boot making photography difficult. Best bird was the by now familiar Common Gull, so yet more pictures of that to start with. (Common Gull is far from common here; if I see more than two a year then I've having a very good year for Common Gull!)
 

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Black-tailed Gulls of various ages flapping around, too, though still not very many (less than a dozen all afternoon).
 

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Once more taimyrensis the most frequent big gull to show up (though still only about a dozen or so). Below are two first-winters, a second-winter, and a third-winter. Hazy today, so poorer photos, but I do feel to be getting the hang of these birds now!
 

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Adult taimyrensis outnumber the immatures by a significant amount, making adult taimyrensis the most commonly encountered 'gull' in Taiwan. The majority now have finished their primary moults, though it is still possible to find a few late ones.
 

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I think first winter it's the correct age for first bird. Moult on coverts is very fast, as in heuglini . Pretty much typical of these two subspecies

As for the adult ones, the p10 tongue of last one is too long for a pure taimyrensis, in my opinion. It's longer than half the feather and rectangular ending, maybe a few cachinnans/barabensis genes in it? ;-)

My comments refer to Yesterday posts at 15:56 and 16:02
 
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As they have a marked preference for freshwater in winter here, mongolicus do not often stray into coastal harbours. Today's adult just popped in for a look-see on its way elsewhere. Such a lovely gull at this time of year - crisply marked, soft looking, and with the beady eye somehow accentuating its overall attractiveness.
 

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