A Gull in Lithuania needs ID (1 Viewer)

[Boris Belchev]

Hi there, it's me again with one very odd gull in my opinion, I took this photo on 22 FEB 2014 at Zabieliškio landfill in Central Lithuania. Any ID clues are very welcome.
Cheers,

 

[lou salomon]

it's a yellow-legged herring gull. legs are very short and stout, body shape and head shape are wrong for (otherwise similar looking) michahellis.

cheers

 

[Merops333]

I would then again say Yellow-legged gull (Larus michahelis) due to sharp wing-ends, dark-looking eye and don't particularly agree on wrong body or/and head shape.

 

[Boris Belchev]

it's a yellow-legged herring gull. legs are very short and stout, body shape and head shape are wrong for (otherwise similar looking) michahellis.

cheers

Hi Lou, with all the respect to the great knowledge about gulls, I must disagree with you this time, this is not a HG, at least not pure one. Take a look it better, if you need larger photo I can send you in PM or by e-mail.
Cheers

 

[lou salomon]

so you think it is a YLG, boris? do you have an open wing shot? what does it make you think it is anything other than a herring gull? smaller white tips to primaries can be due to younger age (4th cycle), dark bill mark may be supportive of this. the all white p10 tip is better for nominate argentatus than for YLG as are the stocky legs and (i repeat myself) its body shape. bill would fit a michahellis (but not any cachinnans) and a strong male argentatus. red orbital is normal in most omissus type HG. please go ahead and post more pics of this bird, boris. any other angle might give a suplementary impression; if not with open wings, you might have a pic with a more upright stance to see head shape.

 

[Boris Belchev]

Lou if I know it is I wouldn't ask here, but I am looking at this gull and it is not HG, nothing even closer to HG. I will check other photos but I was so exciting seeing Glaucous gull on the landfill that I am researching, so didn't took many photos of this gull. Just mind that the gull is dirty, no markings at the head and neck at all...if thats helps :-C

 

[Boris Belchev]

OK, I will check for more photos...

 

[Boris Belchev]

The right side gull

Another photo of the gull. What make me think is other than HG was also the darker back, but I guess this is very variable.

 

[Onemis]

Здрасти, Боби On the second pic I see some markings on the hindneck - that's very unusual place to get dirt. On the last two pics P10 is all white, which is more tipical for HG, and yellow-legged HG aren't so unusual for the Baltic Sea, several has been described so far. Moreover, adult YLG (at least in the Mediterranean) already has bright yellow legs and pure white heads (but if it is 4th cycle bird, the colour will be all right). For me it is difficult to find any difference in body shape on the last pic, but Lou is the man to clarify that. Anyway, whatever it is, it was a nice discussion!
Поздрави от България.

 

[Boris Belchev]

Здрасти Симо ;-)
Hind Neck on bigger resolution photo is visible that is gull pooh on it. But lets don't become nasty, and the hind neck is not pure white even on CG, so I think it have to be a hybrid of HG and maybe YLG OR CG. Leggs are also very dirty as on the landfill is a messy after the early spring this year and I can't confirm that this is the real color of the legs. And YES the Omissus type is making gull watching in Lithuania very tricky, but he also has bright yellow legs. I am still learning, but I feel that this gull is not omissus, it is so odd, that I will wait for other opinions before gave up
Thanks for your comments anyway... Cheers