Gulls and Terns - Thames Essex - 29th August (1 Viewer)

[djw0208]

Please could you confirm the following

1) Yellow Legged Gull oe Lesser Black Backed Gull?
2) & 3) Little Tern next to Common Tern or just a small Common Tern?
4) Sandwich Tern

Many Thanks

 

[Stonefaction]

1. Doesn't look dark enough for LBBG - though could be lighting/angle, so probably YLG (only ever seen 1, so may well be wrong).
2/3. Black Tern with Common Terns.
4. Sandwich Tern is correct.

 

[Derbyfella]

Sorry but I think in photo 3 there is a mixture of sandwich and common terns
Ie in the full photo, the second left has or appears to have black legs and black bill, more than happy to be explained why those are or aren’t?

 

[THE_FERN]

Sorry but I think in photo 3 there is a mixture of sandwich and common terns
Ie in the full photo, the second left has or appears to have black legs and black bill, more than happy to be explained why those are or aren’t?

I'm not convinced. Mantle is quite dark, there seems to be a dark carpal bar ("shoulder"), bills seem quite slim. Legs on second from left bird appear reddish to me

 

[lou salomon]

Pic 3: at least the 2nd and 4th Common Terns from left are 2cy, thus black bills. Right hand bird and maybe left one also are adults. Note however that in autumn/winter even adults can have black bills.

 

[Thijsdekruif]

The legs of the 'YLG' look very pale to me. It also gives me a Herring Gull vibe. So maybe an omissus Herring Gull?

 

[Derbyfella]

Pic 3: at least the 2nd and 4th Common Terns from left are 2cy, thus black bills. Right hand bird and maybe left one also are adults. Note however that in autumn/winter even adults can have black bills.

Thanks Lou….okay can I have some more info please? 2cy how do you know this please?

Loving all the pointers on this 👍🏼

 

[Southern Viking]

The 4th from left (2nd from right) must be a 1cy Common surely? (not including the obvious Black Tern in counting from the left)

 

[leifvester]

The saddle of the gull does look too light for LBB. It also appears to be a bulkier bird in the photo.

Also the leg colour looks better for YLG than the more orange yellow of LBB.

A big missing feature of LBB is the white bar on the back, which is not present in the OPs photo.
For example: https://birdwatchireland.ie/app/uploads/2019/01/Lesser-Black-backed-Gull-B-Burke-7-600x400.jpg

The bill and eye look wrong for Herring gull variant. I think it is a YLG.

 

[Jinac]

For the gull, except the tail which is atypic, i see clearly a YLG...

The 2nd , it may be a juvenile black tern no ?