Gulls ID from below (1 Viewer)

Have you ever been in a situation where hundreds of Gulls have flown above you heading the same way from a tip to a roost a roost to a tip, all large Gulls yet you are confused by what they are as they fly straight and you cannot make the mantle colour? If you lucky yo do get to see the mantle and know what species some are!

Sometimes a very large gull which looks very heavy in flight flies over and I think has to be a Great Black-Backed Gull but then I see the grey and it is clear its a Herring Gull. Some Herring Gull sizes really can vary but sometimes I wonder some are not clearly not black-backs but just look like huge silver/pale mantle gulls - Is there any way to pick out a Glaucous Gull in flight from below if it does now show white wings?


If they fly above you and you do not get a chance to see the mantle and size is dubious how can you pick out a G BB Gull, L BB Gull, Herring Gull, Yellow Legged Gull, Caspian Gull, Glaucous Gull, Iceland Gull in flight?

Can anything be determined from tail size, wing length and shape in relation to body, style of flight?

I like Gulls and want to learn more. I live on a Gull flight path - so much is missed in those groups.

Both Glaucous and Iceland Gulls show no black on the primaries, either from below or from above. These should stand out as totally pale/translucent no matter how you see them (but if its just a brief fly-over from below, you may struggle to accurately judge proportions or see bill detail to differentiate these two species).
As to confidently seperating the others from fly-overs from below, get to know the common species in a wide range of other circumstances first. Watch Herrings, LB-b and G B-b and see their comparative sizes, bulk and proportions. Once you're more familiar and confident with good views, seeing them in more difficult circumstances becomes a little easier.
Forget about Caspian and Yellow-legged for now. The differences are very subtle and you can't realistically do them on a fly-over from underneath. Get to know your common species first, the rarer ones may well then follow.

Mark