gulls (6 Viewers)

[Laurie93]

Thanks for your replies.

What do you think about the beak? It doesn't look large/strong enough for YLG. Or would you say it's just variation? There's a lot of variation in herring gull beak sizes.

Laurie

 

[Clive A]

Thanks for your replies.

What do you think about the beak? It doesn't look large/strong enough for YLG. Or would you say it's just variation? There's a lot of variation in herring gull beak sizes.

Laurie

Hard to judge on the angle of the second photo, but I don't see a problem.

 

[lou salomon]

indeed there's a lot of variation. this one doesn't look as being typical for YLG (which is: high, rel. short, strong gonydeal angle and, most important: blunt tipped, i.e. upper mandible curve at tip is strong), but ind. some have longer bills with less accentuated gonys. the bill in your YLG could sit on an average herring gull, too. a bit untypical is the apaprent pale yellow coloration (if that's not due to fog/photo).

 

[lou salomon]

http://www.lou.bertalan.de/gulls/m_phi.php?bid=1494&grp=michahellis 2cy january-june

and http://www.lou.bertalan.de/gulls/m_phi.php?bid=1493&grp=michahellis 2cy january-june

a bird photographed today by cristian (thanks for sharing it..) in bucharest. note the conspicous window which is stronger than in the average YLG. eastern michs tend to show paller inner primaries (but only a minority, most look like their western counterparts).

 

[Tsingy]

http://www.trakus.org/kods_bird/uye/?fsx=2fsdl15@d&idx=110606#.UuD4lBBajIU

I want to geth your opinion about this gull, thanks lot.

 

[lou salomon]

looks ok for cachinnans but it is in 1st summer (early summer) - this is the most difficult plumage since coverts are very worn and only 2nd gen. scapulars can be assessed. they look like typical cachinnans ones.

these birds from today are very classical cachinnans, a 1st winter (2cy) and a 2nd winter (3cy) bird: http://www.trakus.org/kods_bird/uye/?fsx=2fsdl47@d&idx=110921#.UuExh7S1LAU

 

[Tsingy]

From today, Turkey - Samsun

I want to get your opinion about these two gulls.

Cheers.

 

[lou salomon]

both herring gulls! congratulations, tsingy - are there any confirmed records of herring gull in turkey from recent? the thayeri pattern in the 2nd bird strongly suggests a nortehrn origin (probably white sea). great!
edit: there seems to be a recent cold retreat of northern argentatus into black sea. herring gulls are being reported now from bulgaria and romania coasts too.

 

[Tsingy]

Thanks for your comment. This will be the first record of Turkey. Very good news for us. I was also thinking it might be Herring when i taking the photos. Tomorrow i will look again these gulls.

 

[lou salomon]

congratulations! they seem to be not that rare in harsh winters in black sea but until now nobody really looked for them. so it's good to know that some overwinter on southern coast too.

 

[Tsingy]

From Samsun

Hi everyone. I want to geth your opinion about these 2cy gulls.

06.02.2014 Samsun/ Turkey

 

[lou salomon]

hi tsingy,

all are 2cy (1st cycle birds)

1. is hard to tell, possibly a cachoid (cachinnans-like) looking michahellis but it might be a strange caspian gull allright, with bold transversal marks in scaps and coverts. wings are long. bill is not perfect for cachi but acceptable. body structure in favour of cachinnans.

2. michahellis (with most coverts replaced to 2nd generation)
3. cachinnans

 

[Tsingy]

Thanks lou for your comment.

While i am looking my old photos, i saw this gull. What are you thinking about this gull.

The photos was taken 02.02.2014 from Samsun. When i saw Herring Gull's

 

[lou salomon]

i think this is another herring gull, avery white headed 2nd winter bird.
would be an extremely retarded michahellis (bill is better for micha) and oddly coloured as well. tail is better for argentatus also.

 

[snowcap]

Interesting wingtip pattern on this Gull from UK. Band on P5, all white tip to P10 and obvious tongues.

 

[Cristian Mihai]

Looks like a Caspian Gull.

 

[lou salomon]

and to me.

 

[Samuel Perfect]

Is this HG a 5cy bird (taken in Feb)? It has a decent P5 band, no P9 mirror and a very slight hint of black remaining near the tip of the upper mandible. Compared to other pics of 5th cy HGs it lacks the slight brown ting to the outer P covs, is that ok?

 

[lou salomon]

were the legs pinkish? in that case, yes, herring gull, not necessarily a 5cy, some argenteus can have a solid p5 band. variation is larger than one might think. but to exclude YLG you'd need to have a good view on primary pattern, orbital colour, leg colour, mantle colour.

 

[Samuel Perfect]

At the time I didn't consider YLG as an option as the mantle colour was the same in tone as the other HGs. The eye ring in the same bird (different pic) looks bright but not as reddish as would be expected so I'm still sure this is a HG.

My main concern was regarding the P5 band, is this more of a sub-adult feature or is it equally likely in full adults?