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1st win. Yellow-legged Gull/1st win. Herring Gull (1 Viewer)

Samuel Perfect

Well-known member
I'm still in confusion over telling apart 1st winter Yellow-legged Gulls and 1st winter Herring Gulls, would anyone have any advise. My knowledge only extends as far as Herring Gulls tend to have a serrated edge to the tertials whilst YLGulls have no serration on the tertials, I'm also not sure whether this is a reliable method for telling the species apart. I'm fairly sure the first and last images are of Herring Gulls but I am unsure about the second image, is it another 1st win. Herring Gull?
Any opinions welcome,
Samuel
 

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all 3 are herring gulls. fyling one is compact, short and broad winged. middle one with weak bill, strongly checkered inner greater coverts and late in scap moult, while YLG usually has all scaps (different looking) renewed and often some coverts too. 3rd is quite a typical HG.
 
Hi Lou,
the second one is a Lesser Black-backed Gull, in my opinion. Note pattern of new scapulars, for instance.

Samuel may be glad to hear it. It is something different from Herring Gull indeed; well spotted!
 
yupp, i should have payed attention better, that small bill was a bit of a warning. the long wings and tertial pattern matches LBBG better too...
 
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