Getting to grips with winter gull and tern ID (1 Viewer)

[PelomyLemony]

I am trying to get to grips with winter gull and tern ID. I snapped these two today at Weybourne, Norfolk.

https://imgur.com/a/xlP7LT3

I was hoping for a confirmation, i think these are Little Gull and either Arctic or Common Tern - the latter i cant seem to distinguis between the two.

https://imgur.com/a/nyBpE3A

I also have this bonus one i am completely stumped on, i know its a bad photo but possibly a grebe?

Thanks

PelomyLemony

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Hello,
I agree with you, it's a 1cy Arctic Tern and a 1cy Little Gull.

For the Tern: you can clearly see the pale secondaries and the right tricoloured impression of the wing= the pale area on the secondaries continues as a "cutting in area" to the primaries (I hope that's understandable).

Do you have more pictures of the third bird?
I can't ID it with confidence, but I get a Slavonian Grebe vibe:

• You got a Grebe vibe in the field?
• pure and bright, shining white patch on the cheek seems good for this species and not so good for a Common Scoter or a Black necked Grebe (although the latter can have this, especially when taking picture quality into account. No offence you know).
• a Smew has a flatter crown and head profile (is Nick Knatterton known outside Germany?) and the rounded head and the size in relation to the body gives your bird a jizz of a smaller Grebe.
• But yes, single picture effects.... I hope for more pictures and comments.

 

[PelomyLemony]

Hello,
I agree with you, it's a 1cy Arctic Tern and a 1cy Little Gull.

For the Tern: you can clearly see the pale secondaries and the right tricoloured impression of the wing= the pale area on the secondaries continues as a "cutting in area" to the primaries (I hope that's understandable).

Do you have more pictures of the third bird?
I can't ID it with confidence, but I get a Slavonian Grebe vibe:

• You got a Grebe vibe in the field?
• pure and bright, shining white patch on the cheek seems good for this species and not so good for a Common Scoter or a Black necked Grebe (although the latter can have this, especially when taking picture quality into account. No offence you know).
• a Smew has a flatter crown and head profile (is Nick Knatterton known outside Germany?) and the rounded head and the size in relation to the body gives your bird a jizz of a smaller Grebe.
• But yes, single picture effects.... I hope for more pictures and comments.

Thank you,

Yes that does make sense.

As for the third bird, my first thought was grebe (possibly slavonian) but I havent seen one before and wasn't sure. Unfortunately it was a little way out in swell and by the time I took that photo it vanished and unfortunately I couldn't re-locate it. Regrettably I'll probably kwwp this one off the list for now!

Thanks.