www.gull-research.org

hello,

neil morris had a query about this gull from surrey, photographed in may:

http://www.birdforum.net/attachment.php ... 1259188546

http://www.birdforum.net/attachment.php ... 1259188570

http://www.birdforum.net/attachment.php ... 1259880827

http://www.birdforum.net/attachment.php ... 1259880897

it has a very peculiar contrasting pattern created by the 2nd gen coverts. dark parts are pretty bold and don't really fit a dark caspian which i first thought it was (structurally). could it be a graellsii like some people have suggested? i don't know this kind of plumage from 1st summer LBBG, usually they look much duller, plainer but i have little experience with this taxon - so what do the people say who have worked with 'kleine mantelmeeuw' ? are you familiar with such a plumage? and is moult stage in coverts OK for this species? this bird looks long legged and billed however...neil said it looked large, at least as large as a male LBBG, but it doesn't look like one. may be the ID is straightfort to somebody else...

thanks,

lou

Yes, occasionally 2cy LBBG can look like YLG: http://www.xs4all.nl/~daarruud/fuscus2z.html