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Unknown gull - Bahrain (1 Viewer)

AJDH

Well-known member
England
I photographed this young gull this morning in Bahrain. It's about the size of a slender-bill but when it flew, it looked stockier. Any help is appreciated.
 

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The "face" between the eye and the end of the feathering on the culmen looks far to long for Black-headed. Although it seems to have a very large eye and those head feathers look rather short. I'd say Slender-billed ( but! )
Chris
 
Hi Cristian, Fair play to you, i was starting to get a little worried. My id skills are certainly a bit rusty (10 years since i did any serious birding). I may still be wrong. P
 
Certainly Slender-bill - what we have to do now is to confirm is it this years bird which it certainly looks like - as it could indicate local breeding - main flocks don't return til last part of August normally. We only have one breeding record from Hawar in 1998 - I don't have much info on Juv of this species -
 
hi,

no howard, it's a 1st summer or 2cy which means it is about one year old. juveniles at the moment have a fresh plumage and more brown in them.

all the best,
 
Thanks Lou shame - funny thing is we have tens of thousands wintering here but this is the first pic I have seen of a 2cy bird at this stage - our other record was for a nest with eggs - never saw the patents on the nest - thanks for the help - a nice to see bird at this time of the year
 
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Slender has much paler iris at any age, even more so when 2nd cy.... bill far too brownish, also the legs, also the head pattern nothing to do with genei...

its lokks like a Grey or a Brown headed Gulls but for both there is far too much white on underface of P10-P9....

tghen i guess brown-headed its a better candidate even if a bit odd hugly bird
 
We have previous records - for Grey headed from visiting birders - both Adrian and I discussed the colour bill and legs and thought them strange but since we have little data and no experience on 2cy birds we are unable to pass comment - other than to say we can get more photos tomorrow.
 
As Andrea I was in to Grey-headed or Brown-headed rather than Slender-billed.
However, as he I´m a bit conserned about the pale lines on the underside of the outer primaries (better for Sleder-billed) and the darkish head pattern (better for GHG and BHG), lacking in Slender-billed, the dark-tipped bill (better for the other two). The dark and large eye is beter for the other twoThe white mirror like spot on the outer primaries seems strange. It would of course be nice to see the wingpattern better, just to be able to confirm the shape of the white at the base of the primaries looks like.

Any more pics. Adrian?

JanJ
 
Interesting Andrea, Jan

I too (and I don't really do gulls) thought the following but decided i'd have a look with fresher eyes and saved it in draft as the concensus seemed to be SBG

Just to throw a spanner in the works, why is it not a Brown-headed Gull? They can be quite slender-billed like in profile. The bill to me looks a little heavy, not the usual graceful parallel-sided I'm more used to - http://i.pbase.com/g3/45/100045/2/67142163.xzAUvDi6.jpg though i have found images of heavier individuals.
The head is rather scruffy but despite this I would have expected it much cleaner white (though I'm wary of moult in smaller eastern gulls which can really throw proportions and plumage) - is this a typical variation of 2cy SBG ?
The eye also looks rather large and although there is a hint of paleness to the iris, I would have expected this to be a lot more obvious in 1st summer SB? and BHG will show a varying pale iris at this age I think.. Also is there a small mirror in P9? My problem is the rather extensive white to the primaries on the underwing, seems a bit extensive, more like SBG!


I'd like to see some more images, think the heats got to me ;)
 
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Back from todays birding - we got what we set out for some excellent pictures from all angles including wings up wings down from the front side and rear - AJ who is staying in one of our modest Hotels at enormous expense will in due course internet connection permitting put them up later this morning. I did take a few pics myself (which I shan't put up until AJ has added his shots) but spent most of my time pushing it gently in front of AJ's camera - It is a strange looking bird when you see it in the flesh -- and my money is on it being a Brown Headed Gull which if we can confirm will give AJ a country First.
 
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Looking forward to that!

JanJ

Hopefully I will have the pictures uploaded in the next hour. The computer in the hotel won't take my pictures so I'll be off to an Internet cafe as soon as the wife is ready. :t:

Sorry for the delay.
 
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