Interesting gull at Pennington Flash (1 Viewer)

Just a heads-up for anyone birding Pennington Flash. I did the gull roost there last Wednesday, and noted an interesting large gull (present fairly early on). Alongside an adult yellow-legged gull, this bird (also an adult) looked similar to yellow-legged, with a similarly dark grey mantle, and heavy bill (fairly pale in comparison to the ylg) with a large gonys spot. However, there was a lot of dark streaking on the head (especially around the eye and towards the bill), giving a hooded appearance. I knew what that might mean, but unfortunately didn't have the knowledge or literature to hand to make a definitive ID. The only other feature I noted was that the bird looked almost 'squashed up' at the rear end (not something I knew to look for at the time).

Cheers.

maybe post this on the Manchester Birding Site - theres a forum specific to Pennington