Gulls

Glaucous Gull

2009-05-10T10:32:00.001-07:00

1st-winter Glaucuous Gull, Salthouse, February 2007.

1st-winter Glaucous Gull, Gorleston, 31/3/08.

A particularly faded spring bird.

Iceland Gull

2009-05-10T10:22:00.000-07:00

Juvenile/1st-winter Iceland Gull, Llys-y-fran reservoir, Wales, 9/2/08.

A typically light coffee-coloured individual, with an all dark-bill, rounded head giving a 'cute' feel and long primary projection, giving an overall ellongated impression.

Audoin's Gull

2009-05-10T10:15:00.000-07:00

Audoin's Gull, Chapel Point, Lincolnshire, 22/8/08.

The 5th British record and seen after a 7 hour wait and a mad sprint along the beach!

Yellow-legged Gull

2009-05-10T09:52:00.001-07:00

Adult Yellow-legged Gull, Lakenheath Fen RSPB, 8/2/09.

Note the dark mantle colour, the clean white head and distinctive, almost sqaure, head shape, the red gonys spot on the lower mandible, general chunky structure and small 'bullet' eye.

Near adult (prob. 4th-winter) Yellow-legged Gull, Lakenheath Fen RSPB, 8/2/09.

Note the clean white head, dull bill and darker mantle colour than a Herring Gull would exhibit.

3rd-winter Yellow-legged Gull, Lakenheath Fen RSPB, 31/1/09.

Note the dark mantle, chunky structure and particularly head shape, with dark 'bullet' eye, solid dark centres to tertials and clean white head.

Caspian Gull

2009-05-10T09:35:00.000-07:00

Adult Caspian Gull, Lakenheath Fen RSPB 31/1/09.

Note the distinctive jizz, particularly the fairly slender, parallel-shaped bill (with small orange gonys-spot on the lower mandible), slender body and the head shape (smaller, with more sloped forehead), soft-grey mantle colour, white head with small, darkish eye, as well as the full white tip on P10 and the long white primary tip. An immaculate bird with a surprisingly bright bill (and with no dark subterminal markings), as would perhaps be more expected in breeding plumage (although a slight limy hint was evident in the field and looking at other pictures on the web this seems a variable feature.)