Poss Ring-billed Gull, Ravensthorpe Res (1 Viewer)

Yesterday at about 1 p.m. from the car park by the causeway, as I was setting my new 'scope up my partner found an unusual gull on the water. I made the mistake of continuing to set the scope up (probably would have had to drop it, otherwise) and of course the bird was in the air before I had a look. Watched it for about 3 minutes as it headed off towards the far end of the reservoir.

The main feature she noted was a very yellow tip ("like it has been dipped in yellow paint") to a pale bill separated by a dark band - the inner part of the bill was probably pale yellow. Also some brown streaking on the head, perhaps suggesting intermediate between adult non-breeding and breeding. Main feature I noted was a very distinct white spot in the primaries as it flew away. The light was pretty good, though so such features would stand out. We've no access to decent field guides until we get home but might be worth looking for by anyone else in the area.

I'm not great at gulls, so I only offer this as a thinking point. Have you ruled out immature Common Gull or small immature Herring Gull?

Gareth

We're not gull experts either but 2nd year Common is most likely. That would also account for the prominent 'mirrors' but they would also have shown quite well on a Ring-billed. We went down to Abington Park yesterday where there were a good number of Commons in various plumages including a couple with bills with yellow tips and then spent 40 minutes poring over all our field guides. Julie is definitely coming down on the Ring-billed side of the fence - it was fiercer looking than the Commons we saw and closer to Black-headed on the mantle. I don't reckon we (she) got enough for a submission to the county rarities committee, though.