Large inland Gulls? (1 Viewer)

Not very good with Gulls, so please forgive the somewhat daft question!

I've been seeing some large Gulls recently, flying quite high so observing the finer plumage details has been quite difficult. Can anyone advise as to which specific gull species I'm most likely (or less likely) to see inland (approx 30 miles away from the coast)

I expect it's going to come down to the Lesser Black Back, Great Black Back
and possibly Herring Gull? ~ as I said i'm not greatly experianced in Gull identification so if anyone can offer any pointers, if one or two of the species
I mentioned are less likely to be seen inland than other species then at least I would have some form of elimination.

It's really time I got these sorted!

Matt

edit; I don't even want to think about juves at this stage

More likely to be Herring or LBB, though GBB is far from uncommon inland. Look at the trailing edge of the wing next time they go over, on GBBs and LBBs there is a dark border all along the trailing edge, whereas a Herring's is white/translucent. (That's if they're adults!)

nickderry said:

Look at the trailing edge of the wing next time they go over, on GBBs and LBBs there is a dark border all along the trailing edge, whereas a Herring's is white/translucent. (That's if they're adults!)

Click to expand...

Cheers, would that be the underwing?

Haven't got my Collins at hand at the mo, am currently leafing through my tattered 1976 Heinzel - Fitter - Parslow (the birds of britain/europe) and only the Herring Gull looks distinguishable from the two Black Backed Gulls
(provided I could see the grey overwings of the Herring Gull!)

They all look the same from a great height..

Matt

There have been small numbers of LBBs flying mainly west over Leics and Rutland recently.

Herring Gulls are almost non-existent in the Midlands in early summer, Yellow-legged Gull being much commoner.

A few GBBs, mainly immatures, summer at large inland waters - 7 at Rutland Water at present, along with 2 Yellow-legged.

Steve