They go south!

[WolfgangSchweighofer]

Yes, I have thought of your Caspian section, but it´s impossible to get closer, they are extremely cautious.
Believe me, it took some hours to get the reading of PUBB, I had to change several times between Krems and Gneixendorf (some km´s) and I needed 3 attempts to be successful.
Then I always take these poor pictures (on ice around 40m distance) against sunlight, because Greg wants to have them.
Surprisingly I had a 1st winter gull in Krems which approached to my bread for BHG´s. Looked more like a HG but must be a YLG with it´s renewed coverts.

They go south - hm. In fact I believe that my 3 Puxx´s did not fly directly from Ukraine to Austria. Although they had no readings so far, I think they stayed undetected in Belarus, Lithuania or Poland during Summer/autumn. When it became cold, several of them went south. Unfortunately - I don´t believe, that they will go west, to the Netherlands for example. None of the numerous birds I have read has an recovery at Atlantic coast so far. Most western recoveries have been done at Lake Konstanz.
But maybe other PUxx rings will go to the Atlantic coast?

Wolfgang

[WolfgangSchweighofer]

Still no option / location to attract these birds with bread or food left-overs to get some close range shots and flight shots?

Okay, yesterday I had the first one only some meters in front of me, at the feeding place in Steyr, unfortunately without ring. But I think, at this time many cach´s here are from the heart of the range
Had only one lesser covert replaced, symmetrically on each wing.
Only maximum 10 large gulls there, but surprisingly YLG is still dominant at this place, one seemed to be a 1cy HG and 2 1cy CG. The Slowakian pair was missing.

Personally I prefer those CG´s with orange-brown old coverts, contrasting nicely with the almost blackish new ones