Dark juv. Gull ID, Madeira (August 2011) (1 Viewer)

Silvio Davison

Well-known member

• Aug 28, 2011

• #1

Hi all,

I was in Canical harbour, in Madeira, two weeks ago and saw this gull, slightly bigger than the other atlantic yellow-leggeds that were around...it looked unusually dark on head and upper breast for juv. Yellow-legged and I have an idea about it...but I wanted to hear your opinions first, so any ideas are really appreciated
Many thanks,


Silv

 

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mäkpe

Well-known member

• Aug 28, 2011

• #2

Any other pics?

 

Silvio Davison

Well-known member

• Aug 28, 2011

• #3

Nope, sorry...I just had it for a few seconds as a fly-by over the harbour and then we both disappeared


Silv

 

Jane Turner

Well-known member

• Aug 28, 2011

• #4

It might be a smiths, but you'll not be proving it without more photos.

 

S

smiths

Well-known member

• Aug 28, 2011

• #5

Certainly no smiths, with such sparse markings on vent and undertail coverts.
It is most likely a Yellow-legged Gull or, perhaps, Lesser Black-backed Gull.

 

Silvio Davison

Well-known member

• Aug 28, 2011

• #6

It looked bigger than the other Atlantic yellow leggeds, as I said above, and surely wasn't a LBB for size and for the fact that I've seen many and it did not look like one in the field...it looked like an ordinary Yellow legged at the beginning and then, as it came closer, it was darker and slightly bigger than the other gulls and I took one single shot before it disappeared. Upper breast and head plumage too dark for YL though, or is it just within individual variation?

Thanks and sorry for not having more photos I thought it was sufficiently decent


Silv

 

S

smiths

Well-known member

• Aug 29, 2011

• #7

Size is variable too. It is not because one gull looks slightly bigger than others that it is certainly a different species. Besides, how was size judged ? It is not easily assessed against the sky, in just a few seconds.

 

A

Allen S. Moore

Well-known member

• Aug 29, 2011

• #8

smiths said:

Size is variable too. It is not because one gull looks slightly bigger than others that it is certainly a different species. Besides, how was size judged ? It is not easily assessed against the sky, in just a few seconds.

Click to expand...

Agreed. I've seen lots of yellow-legged and herring gulls of different real and apparent sizes.

 

Silvio Davison

Well-known member

• Aug 29, 2011

• #9

I have seen many Yellow-legged Gulls, as I live in Italy and not England and I think that I've have learnt something about judging bird size in six year's birding every day (did I say it was of another species because it was bigger by any chance? can't remember doing so...) and if I asked an opinion it wasn't to know what you think of what I say, but of what you see in the photo.

Thanks you smiths

 

Silvio Davison

Well-known member

• Aug 29, 2011

• #10

P.S: As I said, it looked different for plumage, and I was asking about individual variation on upper breast colour, not on size...



Silv

 

JANJ

Well-known member

• Aug 29, 2011

• #11

Silvio.

Not a smithsonianus but LBBG or YLG. Being darker than nom michahellis - atlantis or simply a darker than usual michahellis could be a choice here perhaps.
Males are bigger than females, some males being real brutes!

JanJ

 

S

smiths

Well-known member

• Aug 29, 2011

• #12

I was only trying to help, dear Silvio...
My first reply (#5) was based on what can be seen in the photograph.
You may disagree with my opinion - that is fine - but there is no need to become rude...

 

Silvio Davison

Well-known member

• Aug 29, 2011

• #13

Thank you very much JanJ, long time no speak...how are you?
That's all I needed to know!

Silv

 

Silvio Davison

Well-known member

• Aug 29, 2011

• #14

smiths said:

I was only trying to help, dear Silvio...
My first reply (#5) was based on what can be seen in the photograph.
You may disagree with my opinion - that is fine - but there is no need to become rude...

Click to expand...

Was replying to your post #7 as you were speaking about size whilst I was asking about upper breast.

Silv