Gulls in Hokkaido (1 Viewer)

Hi, I went to Hokkaido for a great week trip this March. There were plenty of Gulls, and I find it sometimes difficult to identify all of them.

I have a few species in this link. Would appreciate your views on those which I would have misidentified (the birds are "numbered")...

Many thanks in advance!

http://s568.photobucket.com/albums/ss127/orchidphotos/Birds of Japan/Gulls of Hokkaido/

hi,


a brief run through your gull pics (just where it differs from your IDs):

3 = 2cy GWG (?)
4,5 = 3cy SBG
6,8 = 4-5cy GWG (x SBG?) - darker wing tips than mantle..
10 = 3cy SBG
11 = 2cy GWG
19 = prob. 2cy SBG
21 = SBG?
28 = 2cy GWG
29 = ? (bleached 3cy Vega?)
33 = GWG (x?)
36 = GWG ( x?)
41 = GWG
42 = not Glaucous...
43,44 = 4cy SBG

best,

lou salomon said:

hi,


a brief run through your gull pics (just where it differs from your IDs):

3 = 2cy GWG (?)
4,5 = 3cy SBG
6,8 = 4-5cy GWG x Vega?
10 = 3cy SBG
11 = 2cy GWG
19 = ?
21 = ? (SBG? Vega?)
28 = 2cy GWG
29 = ? (bleached 3cy Vega?)
33 = GWG (x?)
36 = GWG ( x?)
41 = GWG
42 = not Glaucous...
43,44 = 4cy SBG

best,

Click to expand...

Thanks a lot Lou. For 43/44, I thought the light bill would eliminate SBG. Will try to send more pictures of 19 and 42.

43 and 44 definitely are slaty-backed. take in account that they are subadults (4th calendar years, 3rd cycles) and as such, especially during spring can get more adult like bills.

lou salomon said:

43 and 44 definitely are slaty-backed. take in account that they are subadults (4th calendar years, 3rd cycles) and as such, especially during spring can get more adult like bills.

Click to expand...

Hi all,

I think 43 is a 3cyr (2nd winter). I seem to recall that the white tips to some of the scapulars are 'diagnostic of that age'.

According to email correspondence that I've had, 2/3 of 2nd winters look like bird 43 (assuming I've aged it correctly) whilst 1/3 are of the brown type of which bird 39 is almost typical of that type.

Regards,

Andy.

andy is prob. right with 43 - i was thrown by the adult type 1-2 median coverts visible which i didn't associate with a 2nd cycle SBG but in march some of them could well appear.. 44 however is a 3rd cycle (4cy). see edited post 2 (no. 19 and 21).

lou salomon said:

andy is prob. right with 43 - i was thrown by the adult type 1-2 median coverts visible which i didn't associate with a 2nd cycle SBG but in march some of them could well appear.. 44 however is a 3rd cycle (4cy). see edited post 2 (no. 19 and 21).

Click to expand...

They do seem incredibly variable! You may still be right.

Lou: have a look at this again:

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=222436

Compare to Bird 39.

I've been sent images from Japan of birds very similar to the Dungeness bird. I've been meaning to write a post about this bird for Birdforum. Still feel it's a Slaty-backed. We've had 3-4 adults/sub-adults i Europe now so it's likely that immatures are being missed.

Keep checking local rubbish tips.

Cheers,

Andy.

I agree with Lou and Andy, though for now I see little reason yet to rule out Glaucous Gull for n° 42 - unless I am missing something? Also, I think Vega Gull can be ruled out as an option for 29.

The full list:

1. adult Slaty-backed Gull, though it is impossible to rule out some influence of Glaucous-winged Gull here (note rather greyish-black colour on P6-7 and rather grey mantle);
2. adult Kamchatka Gull
3. 2nd-cycle Glaucous-winged Gull
4. 2nd-cycle Slaty-backed Gull
5. 2nd-cycle Slaty-backed Gull
6. 3 or 4cycle Glaucous-winged Gull
7. 1cycle Glaucous Gull
8. same as 6
9. adult Vega Gull
10. 2cycle Slaty-backed Gull
11. 1cycle Glaucous-winged Gull
12. ad Slaty-backed
13. 1cycle Glaucous
14. ad Glaucous; left bird looks interesting and is probably a hybrid Slaty-backed x Glaucous-winged;
15. ad Slaty-backed
16. 1cycle Glaucous
17. subadult Glaucous-winged
18. Not too sure about this one; flight shots are needed.
Could be Vega Gull or could be a hybrid Slaty-backed x Vega;
19. 1cycle Slaty-backed
20. ad Black-headed
21. 1cycle Slaty-backed (same bird as 19?)
22. ad Black-headed
23. ad Slaty-backed
24. ad Slaty-backed
25. ad Kamchatka Gull
26. ad Slaty-backed
27. ad Glaucous-winged
28. 1cycle Glaucous-winged
29. Not sure what this is; more photos needed. Could be a 2cycle Glaucous Gull, but perhaps a hybrid Glaucous x Glaucous-winged is more likely. In any case, it is not an Iceland Gull.
30. ad Slaty-backed
31. ad Glaucous-winged
32. ad Slaty-backed
33. ad Glaucous-winged (with pale iris)
34. ad Slaty-backed
35. 1c Glaucous Gull
36. same as 33
37. 1cycle Glaucous
38. 2cycle Slaty-backed
39. same bird
40. 1cycle Glaucous
41. ad Glaucous-winged
42. 1cycle Glaucous
43. 2cycle Slaty-backed
44. 2 or 3cycle Slaty-backed
45. ad Slaty-backed
46. 1cycle Glaucous
47. same bird
48. 1cycle Glaucous
49. ad Slaty-backed

Full set by Peter, exept perhaps for the darkish wingtip on nr 17 which might suggest some sort of hybrid origin. The head and bill propotions in bird 1 looks a bit heavy for SBG, and bill in nr 24 looks rather 'blob' tipped (GWG influence?)

JanJ

Thanks a lot for all the identifications. I am often clueless with gulls. Good to have experts here!

Here is another picture of Gull 29... Unfortunately, only took it in those two positions.

Cheers

Abdel

JANJ said:

Full set by Peter, exept perhaps for the darkish wingtip on nr 17 which might suggest some sort of hybrid origin.

Click to expand...

Maybe, but I have often found that the colour of wingtip depends on light and on the angle towards the camera. Especially subadults are tricky.
Attached is an example from Choshi, Japan, last March. Wingtips look dark at rest, but rather normal (i.e. grey) in flight.

JANJ said:

and bill in nr 24 looks rather 'blob' tipped (GWG influence?)
JanJ

Click to expand...

Again, maybe. Iris looks rather dark too, so who knows.

abizid said:

Here is another picture of Gull 29... Unfortunately, only took it in those two positions.

Cheers

Abdel

Click to expand...

Looks ok for Glaucous Gull now.