'An unusual looking gull seen feeding with Black-headed Gull and Herring Gulls on Jesus Green on 21st January. First impressions were possible Audouin's Gull but expert opinion decided it was an aberrant Herring Gull., - Bob Jarman and Matt Hazleton
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
Unidentified Gull
'An unusual looking gull seen feeding with Black-headed Gull and Herring Gulls on Jesus Green on 21st January. First impressions were possible Audouin's Gull but expert opinion decided it was an aberrant Herring Gull., - Bob Jarman and Matt Hazleton
I was initially fooled by this gull, but I am now sure it is a Herring Gull. The combination of a dark eye, red bill and black legs might look like Audouin's Gull, but the eye is not dark enough, the legs are coated in black mud and the bill is coated in something else. The real clincher is the exposed yellow at the base of the bill. While initially, to me, it looked like stained feathering, it is clearly not that, it is the base of a Herring Gull's bill. On top of this, it looks too chunky for Audouin's, not slim enough and the mirror on P10 is too large.
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