21 July 2009

Among three Mediterranean Gulls roosting on the rocky shore at Instow on 19 July, captured in this photograph by Stewart Beer, was one colour-ringed bird.

13 July 2009

Mark Darlaston captured these photos of a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull following fishing boats off Berry Head on 10 July.

With regard to identifying Yellow-legged Gull, County Recorder Mike Langman writes: "This juvenile Yellow-legged Gull can be identified from juvenile Herring Gull by the following features:

1. Lack of very contrasting paler inner primaries against dark secondaries and dark outer primaries.
2. Dark outer greater coverts forming a partial bar.
3. Very contrasting tail and and rump.
4. Pale head and dark mask – juvenile Herring Gulls are much greyer/brown.
5. Large dark almost spotted sides to breast and rear flanks, and almost white centre belly.

…and from the more similar juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull by:

1. More contrasty upper wing pattern.
2. More advanced cleaner plumage – most LBBs have just fledged and are greyer in early July.
3. Large size (Mark commented that it was almost as big as a Greater Black-backed Gull).
4. Large bulky bill. 

23 June 2009

Further to Chris Proctor's excellent comparative shot of Mediterranean Gull and Black-headed Gull at Broadsands, here is a series of five images taken on the same day, 20 June 2009.

23 June 2009

Chris Proctor took this fantastic comparative shot of a 2nd summer Mediterranean Gull and adult Black Headed Gull at Broadsands on 20 June.

image:

Iceland Gull photographed by Steve Waite at Seaton in February. More of Steve's photographs can be seen on his website.

24 February 2009

These photographs taken by Steve Waite show each of the three first-winter Iceland Gulls that have been in the vicinity of the Axe Estuary recently – all three were on view at 17:00 on Sunday 22 February.

image:

A 1st winter Iceland Gull seen in fading light on the Axe Estuary in January 2009. This is the fourth individual to be seen on the Axe this year.
More of Steve's photographs can be seen on his website.