www.gull-research.org

Hi dudes,

I'm glad to announce that the Thayer's Gull is back to the same place (North Galician coast, Spain), exactly one year after.

The age of this gull is now under discussion, so any opinion would be very much appreciated.

Photos: David Calleja.
Best wishes!
Gabi

Further picture from Raul Carrillo.

Amazing wingtip patern!!

great to see it back - looks to be the one from last year, gabi. an advanced 3rd cycle for me, with the small primary tips.

lou

Hi Gabi.

Amazing!

Again on ID-FRONTIERS. http://listserv.arizona.edu/cgi-bin/wa? ... L=birdwg01

JanJ

lou bertalan wrote:great to see it back - looks to be the one from last year, gabi. an advanced 3rd cycle for me, with the small primary tips.

lou

Hi all,

I think the age of this gull should no longer be a point of discussion.
This bird first turned up in Feb 2008, as a first-cycle:
http://old.nabble.com/pale-American-Her ... 71736.html
(photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/10602673849 ... in10022008#)

It was refound at the same location in March 2010 (having gone missing or unnoticed for more than a year):
viewtopic.php?f=13&t=261
Logically, it should have been in its 3rd-cycle then.
This is also consistent with its adult-like inner primaries, largely grey secondaries, and pale eye at the time.

The bird is now in its 4th-cycle. Its primaries do not yet have the full adult aspect, there are a few traces of black in the tail, and the bill still has a subtle, dark subterminal mark
(which is very rare in full adult Thayer's).

I think this is one of the best documented Thayer's Gulls in the Western Palearctic!

Hi all,

finally, this record gets the attention deserved one year ago, when some people didn't fully agree with the Thayer's option, probably only for that pale iris (a feature that does not exclude thayeri at all, IMO).

I agree with Peter, the bird is now on its 4th cycle and its for sure the best documented Thayer's for WP. And that's was posible due to efforts of my friends David, Ricardo and Toño, who never quit the fight to recognise and relocate this bird as a number one MEGA for Spain and WP.

I love gulls.

Gabi

vuelvepiedras wrote: probably only for that pale iris (a feature that does not exclude thayeri at all, IMO).

Indeed. Here is a recently photographed 3rd-cycle Thayer's Gull from California, with pale iris (temporary webpage only):
http://users.telenet.be/peteradriaens/gullspec4/

Thanks Peter!

More pictures and info (in Spanish, sorry) on my blog Larus

http://www.larusfuscus.blogspot.com


Cheers!

Gabi