Hello, correction or in best case confirmation sought of my IDs of a couple of gulls and 1 tern seen in Lake Habaniya, Anbar Province, Iraq on Dec 22, 2022 at about 2pm. The lake is quite large (though drought has changed its shore line quite a bit) surrounded by desert. The birds shown were all on or around sandbars fairly far from shore.
Apologies for the quality of the photos.
Photos 1312 & 1313: Slender billed gulls?, based on bill colour and shape, and head having a pulled look as if someone grabbed the bill and pulled it
They legs seem more yellow than red but that seems to match those in some birds photographed in December.
Photo 17df: Caspian tern? but at this time of year would the black cap be more streaked and the bill seems more orangish than blood red. But on range the only other terns are gull billed (and this one's bill is not black) and several types of marsh terns and common tern. I think the larger gulls are Armenian but a better photo (I hope) of one follows and the smaller ones black-headed in winter plumage.
Photo 17de: Armenian gull, the large one with its wings spread looking like just landed or getting ready for take off. ID based on underwing pattern, especially the white primary tip. I think that excludes less black-backed gull and others but I of course am not sure about that. Black headed gulls surrounding it and I have no idea of the gull flying in the upper left of the frame.
Thank you in advance for taking the time to look at these. All comments and corrections much appreciated.
steve
Apologies for the quality of the photos.
Photos 1312 & 1313: Slender billed gulls?, based on bill colour and shape, and head having a pulled look as if someone grabbed the bill and pulled it
They legs seem more yellow than red but that seems to match those in some birds photographed in December.Photo 17df: Caspian tern? but at this time of year would the black cap be more streaked and the bill seems more orangish than blood red. But on range the only other terns are gull billed (and this one's bill is not black) and several types of marsh terns and common tern. I think the larger gulls are Armenian but a better photo (I hope) of one follows and the smaller ones black-headed in winter plumage.
Photo 17de: Armenian gull, the large one with its wings spread looking like just landed or getting ready for take off. ID based on underwing pattern, especially the white primary tip. I think that excludes less black-backed gull and others but I of course am not sure about that
. Black headed gulls surrounding it and I have no idea of the gull flying in the upper left of the frame.Thank you in advance for taking the time to look at these. All comments and corrections much appreciated.
steve
