kumlieni??

[Derek Charles]

"First-cycle birds are often the most difficult to identify with certainty. In December 2005, I had a discussion with Klaus Malling Olsen on this topic, and he provided the following helpful characters for a vagrant kumlieni in this plumage:

- a distinct brown tinge on the outer webs of the outer primaries. Note the word 'outer' (which is important). Also, as a personal rule of thumb, I compare the colour of the outer webs with that of the primary coverts. The brown tinge should be about as dark as the primary coverts, preferably darker. It is often present up to the base of the feather, so rather than focus on any dark marks near the tip of the primaries, I would concentrate more on the bases of these feathers.
- uniformly dark tail band (<> rather barred in the Amsterdam bird)
- blackish bill"

Hello Peter,
I think the only sure way of identifying a vagrant 1stw Kumliens is your first point. Could i add that the brownish wash is often heaviest in the middle part of the feather (on the outer web)and it can fade towards the tip. It can often bleed onto the inner web at the tip.
The other two points are very variable and as you said there is much overlap. It would be preferable if they were present but i would not let either a poorly defined tailband or a two toned bill stop me identifying a bird as a Kumliens if the pattern of the primarys were correct.

"My first impression on the photos from Amsterdam is that this bird shows probably none ?"

Agree, i think the bird is a coarse dark Iceland but still a very nice looking gull. At the moment there are no Iceland Gulls here, its been a very poor winter, so well done Ruud!

"See also this Belgian Iceland Gull (not Kumlien's), which sparked the above discussion in winter 2005:
http://www.keeponbirding.com/foto.jsp?i ... rentId=472
http://www.keeponbirding.com/foto.jsp?i ... rentId=472
http://www.keeponbirding.com/foto.jsp?i ... rentId=472"
Its a pity the last photo does not show the pattern of the outer primarys in sharp focus! It appears to have darker outer primaries but the pattern of the wash is difficult to make out. It must be very close to a Kumliens.Nice bird again.

derek