gulls (1 Viewer)

[JANJ]

Hi UtahnBirder.

To be able to make a possitive identification of you gull - we need more pic.
We can of course make some guesses, like Ring-billed Gull or maybe even California Gull, but that wouldn´t be fair to you.

JanJ

 

[Cristian Mihai]

Some long shots taken in the poor light of the sunset - October 14th, Herastrau Park.

 

[lou salomon]

the first one is a nice very pale 1cy michahellis i guess - nice pattern.
the last one gets you dizzy a bit - superb shot!

http://www.birdpix.nl/album_page.php?pic_id=151968 - such beauties these 1cy cachinnans at this time of year (from nov 2008), this one possibly a male. see renewed median coverts.

ans see this old friend of risto juvaste. herring gull that got leucistic at the age of 7cy, now loss of pigmentation has progressed into this outfit: http://www.tarsiger.com/gallery/index.php?pic_id=sampsa1256556981&lang=eng

 

[Cristian Mihai]

Strange bird...

 

[lou salomon]

some august 1cy cachi and micha

at the same place (vadu, 22.08.) all pics by joszef szabo jun.

1. looks like a michahellis on GC and scapular pattern (cropped and lightened pic)

2. two birds most probably cachinnans. (although the flying bird could well be a mich on pattern)

3. shows a 1cy michahellis (most probably) with rounded primary tips - i can't explain why in some 1cy primaries tips look so rounded.

4. a well patterned 2cy cachi (see it standing on ground here: http://lou.bertalan.de/birds/)

5. very pretty 1cy caspian gull.

 

[Cristian Mihai]

Pic1 - A group of Yellow-legged Gulls (Dambovita, November 1st).
Pic 2 & 3 - A nice 1cy Yellow-legged.
Pic 4 - A 3cy Yellow-legged.
Pic 5 - A 1cy Yellow-legged.
See also:
http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/277474/ppuser/54311
http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/277478/ppuser/54311

 

[lou salomon]

hi cristian,

http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/data/527/PB014681m.jpg is definitely a caspian gull. see long p10 tongue ventrally, pigmentated iris, pinkish legs, 'gonysless' lower mandible. quite odd is the broken subterminal band to p5, normally strong to outer web but extremely weak, almost lacking on inner web!

the 1st winter bird (http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/277478/ppuser/54311) also shows some pro-cachinnans features like the thin bill and plain greater covert pattern but to be sure i'd wanted to see more of it (tail, scapulars, underwing?)

pics 2-3 is indeed a very nice 1st winter michahellis with advanced lesser coverts moult. same goes for no 5, also with more than half of the median coverts replaced. thanks for sharing, cristian!

 

[Cristian Mihai]

Thank you for comments Lou. The adult bird is obviously a Caspian, but I was under the children stress when I uploaded the pics, if you know what I want to say... I would also agree that de 1st winter bird looks pretty good for a Caspian too. Here are some more pics with the same bird (sorry for the quality!).

 

[Cristian Mihai]

A few more pics taken yesterday, November 1st.

 

[Cristian Mihai]

two more

 

[JANJ]

Don´t be sorry Cristian those 1st winter Caspian Gull images are very good! The underwing pattern is quite acceptable for Caspian. Furthermore, the broad tailband especially on outer t-feathers is good for Caspian. Finally, the overall structure - billshape and white head with a streaked collar is perfect for Caspian.

JanJ

 

[lou salomon]

hm, we're talking about the one in #1028. which might of course be a caspian because it looks like one (especially head and bill). but can we really exclude the odd female michahellis? they certainly can have a whitish head and a collar is found in most 1cy YLG. to me the tail band doesn't look especially broad. surely the underwing is acceptable for caspian - have you seen this very well marked bird recently (30.10. on tarsiger?: http://www.tarsiger.com/images/Jniemi/lcac12.jpg
well, maybe i'm too cautious in this case.

the other shots are superb, cristian - 3 different looking 2cy and a 4cy michahellis as well as 3 pics of adult caspian gulls (no 3 in post 1029 and the 2 in #1030). the 1st bird in #1030 (underwing shot) is slightly disturbing as it has similarly shaped mirrors as ad YLG, pale eyes and some streaking around eyes reminescent of michahellis. however, i think it's a younger adult (possibly 5cy) caspian - bill shape and colour, pinkish legs and long p10 tongue! and the 2nd pic in #1030 is the same bird as this: http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/data/527/PB014681m.jpg - the one with the odd assymmetric p5 mark.

 

[Cristian Mihai]

Is this a 3cy michahellis with a small white mirror on p10?

 

[lou salomon]

yes.

 

[Cristian Mihai]

I suppose that this is the same bird...

 

[Cristian Mihai]

Conflict.
The lefthand bird - maybe a 2cy Caspian?

 

[lou salomon]

maybe, maybe not, it's not so easy. bill shape is not visible properly but in 2nd shot it appears stubby - pro micha, so does the squarish shaped head and lack of p10 mirror. now there exist enough 2nd winter caspians without a p10 mirror and underwings are extremely white, neck streaking looks caspian like as well although it is not as compact to form a distinct collar. all in all i get the feeling of a very pale 2cy female(?) michahellis, all dark underside to p9 and 10 supports this.

 

[Cristian Mihai]

Some wing tips here.

 

[Cristian Mihai]

pic1 - micha. pic 2 - cachi. pic 3 - micha. pic 4 - micha (and a supposed 2cy cachinnas on the right hand).

 

[lou salomon]

well done cristian. i'm not sure about the adult bird in the center of pic 2. could be either - upperside is not telling too much except you see the grey tongues on p9 and 10. well, p9 mirror looks a bit large for YLG so i guess it is caspian - looking again, yes, caspian it is.
nice and typical michahellises in pic 3 and 4, but the right hand bird in pic 4 is a 2cy caspian - fine!