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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

gulls (3 Viewers)

damn, it has a small p9 mirror! apparently only in the right wing though. this is rare in 3cy micha but i think we had 1-2 cases here already. age class is 3cy, cristian, don't forget we have the end of the year and birds looking like this (with smudges on primary coverts, 3rd gen. primaries with smaller mirrors and small apical spots) are 3rd winter types (which become 4cy at 1.01.).
 
October 13th - three birds (two pics for the first one - a 3cy?). IMHO, the second one looks more like a 4cy and about the third one I suppose it is a 3cy.
 

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hi cristian,

quite interesting all these 3cy/"3rd winter" types. with such large smudges on primary coverts even the 2nd one is more likely a 3cy? this shows the strong variation in size of mirrors and apical spots for this age class. bird 2 might indeed be a retarded 4cy, especially since p9 mirror is actually too large for an acceptable 3rd winter but who knows? remember that most 4cy at this time of year are in their 4th cycle and as such (mostly) in full adult plumage.
ringed ind. should be studied... note that no 3 doesn't have any mirror at all - also a common sight in 3rd cycle michahellis!
 
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Hi you clever gull id experts - a friend was in Turkey recently and got this lovely photo...my first thought was Yellow legged Gull but a mate has suggested maybe Yellowlegged Herring Gull?

Any thoughts?
 

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Dryocopus said:
Hi you clever gull id experts - a friend was in Turkey recently and got this lovely photo...my first thought was Yellow legged Gull but a mate has suggested maybe Yellowlegged Herring Gull?

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

hi dryocopus,

herring gull would be a rare vagrant in turkey, esp. in the mediterranean. this is without doubt an adult YLG moulting its outer 2 primaries. yellow-legged argentatus can be excluded phenotypically on the large amount of black in primary tips (note that a lot of black would be added when p9 and 10 will be fully grown), bright yellow legs and lack of strong winter striation on head.

regards,
 
that's not so easy. a 3rd winter (3cy) type with small mirrors. normally the primary pattern matches michahellis, if it wasn't for the casual caspian with restricted mirrors at this age...the yellowish legs support YLG - a dark eyed...still i'd have liked a clear underwing or spread upperwing shot...
 
on the other hand - i just realized that it seems to have a very long ventral p10 tongue, let's say "impossible" for 3rd cycle YLG. if it is the p10 tongue indeed. let's ask the forum members but it seems to be a caspian with unusually small p10 mirror, no p9 mirror, yellowish legs (in winter, 3cy!) and a slightly bulbous bill tip....
 

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A very cooperative Little Gull , from my last observation to Axios Delta.
 

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challenging, luke. with this venetian blind view only i'd suggest a YLG. however the tone of the coverts is pretty cold and i wonder if it's a graellsii LBBG with paler than normal inner webs to inner primaries?
i hope this is a quiz and you'll show us more than this pic soon?
 
your first suggestion is correct. 1st winter Yellow legged Gull.
 

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