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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

gulls (4 Viewers)

pete, your bird looks very like a herring gull to me, seemingly a rel. plain patterned bird. scap pattern with bold halfmoon-like subterminal marks but not double anchors like in YLG, apparently no 2nd gen. coverts (of course not in all YLGs) and rather stout body shape.
 
salut tibault,

personally i'd put it in the pure cach section. shorter than average tongues with a little more black in wingtip (ventrally) and slightly diagonal p10 tongue demarcation and a bit short wings, but all these well within variation of birds i find e.g. in the danube delta. probably a younger adult male (5cy?), due to shorter tongues, shorter wings, strong bill.

cheers,
 
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I feel confident that I’m asking in the right place for this one! I noticed this Gull in Cornwall yesterday, it appeared to be more elegant, slightly smaller with a noticeably relaxed more buoyant flight than the accompanying Herring Gulls, I would guess small female michalellis?
 

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I feel confident that I’m asking in the right place for this one! I noticed this Gull in Cornwall yesterday, it appeared to be more elegant, slightly smaller with a noticeably relaxed more buoyant flight than the accompanying Herring Gulls, I would guess small female michalellis?

Hiya - very dark inner primaries?
 
Hiya - very dark inner primaries?

Tittetattler! Many thanks for the reply, I suppose with dark inner primaries it should be from the fuscus group, although I’m still puzzled by the paleness of the upper-parts that show no contrast from mantle & scapulars to worn upper-wing (excluding primaries & secondaries) there is also the overall noticeable delicate jizz and the pronounced steep forehead shown by this individual, still I suppose it’s my own fault for looking at Gulls in the first place.
Colin
 
dark in inner primaries with just a restricted area on inner webs could well be in line with michahellis. pro mich is also the apparently pronounced smudge around eye - but this appears in other taxons too, like LBBG. the bird in its "delicateness", weak billed and overall rel. dark on underparts, well patterned uppertail coverts and especially the fresh appearing remiges and coverts led me towards graellsii. YLG usually has a much more worn plumage by now.
 
dark in inner primaries with just a restricted area on inner webs could well be in line with michahellis. pro mich is also the apparently pronounced smudge around eye - but this appears in other taxons too, like LBBG. the bird in its "delicateness", weak billed and overall rel. dark on underparts, well patterned uppertail coverts and especially the fresh appearing remiges and coverts led me towards graellsii. YLG usually has a much more worn plumage by now.
Lou! Thanks for the explanation; I suppose a big part of the fascination with Gulls is the individual variation shown in size and plumage even among birds of the same species and age. This image taken 08 02 2013 in Cornwall shows what I would say is a 2cy Herring Gull, showing interesting secondaries (different from the norm, in these parts at least)
Colin
 

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that's a beautiful 3cy herring gull, colin. note the different pattern due to mostly having 2nd gen. feathers, except for some 3rd gen. scaps. i photographed this one on gotland and was slightly perplexed by its appearance at that time, a 2cy (but with complete 2nd gen. plumage in august): http://www.netfugl.dk/pictures.php?id=showpicture&picture_id=23428 note esp. greater covert pattern differing from 1st gen. (juv) one.
you got a nice 2nd winter plumaged herring gull - can't tell if it's tatus or teus. was it big?
 
that's a beautiful 3cy herring gull, colin. note the different pattern due to mostly having 2nd gen. feathers, except for some 3rd gen. scaps. i photographed this one on gotland and was slightly perplexed by its appearance at that time, a 2cy (but with complete 2nd gen. plumage in august): http://www.netfugl.dk/pictures.php?id=showpicture&picture_id=23428 note esp. greater covert pattern differing from 1st gen. (juv) one.
you got a nice 2nd winter plumaged herring gull - can't tell if it's tatus or teus. was it big?

Fasinating info Lou! It was a large argentatus type, showing a darkish head, pale patch at the base of the upper mandible, all dark bill and no white bill-tip.
Colin
 
most argeteus are more advanced in scap moult (showing more grey in the saddle) by now - so it's pretty safe to assume that such a large "retarded" and fresh bird is a northern argentatus.
 
most argeteus are more advanced in scap moult (showing more grey in the saddle) by now - so it's pretty safe to assume that such a large "retarded" and fresh bird is a northern argentatus.

Plenty of these heavier (hyperboreus jizz) with stronger bill and flatter forehead argentatus types around the Camel Estuary this winter, although I’m not sure about the second image, this individual much smaller with much steeper forehead?
 

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can't safely tell the subsp. but both are 3rd winters (4cy by now!). note especially adult like inner primaries with large white tips (diagnostic for 3rd winters).
 
With a tail like that surely this striking 3rd winter Gull showing today in Cornwall must be argenteus? The 4th image is a different individual with unusually, paler brown primaries and muddy pale window on inner primaries, I was almost thankful it showed a pale eye!
Colin
 

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