Getting There Eventually

Finding the occasional decent gull in a sizeable flock is always rewarding, and sometimes pretty exciting. But there is potentially a serious drawback...

Understandably that gull will immediately get my full attention. Then the camera comes out, and I'll be doing my best to capture as varied a set of poses as possible. 'What's wrong with that?' you may ask. Well, this all takes time, and if that gull grabbed my attention early on, chances are the rest of the flock hasn't been checked properly, if at all. I might easily be tied up with a lovely Caspian Gull, while an American Herring Gull is ten yards to the left, entirely neglected. I think this is a major failing of mine. I know I do it, but can't seem to help myself. I spot the good gull, and it's 'Hello-o-o. What's this...? Ooh! Quick! Get the scope on it! Where's my camera?!' I realise it's all out of fear my prize will fly away the second I take my eye off it, but it is not good, and will one day cost me dear. If it hasn't already...

I mention this for a reason. Last Tuesday's Axe Casp had me preoccupied for a considerable time. Eventually I managed to tear myself away and look at other birds, and one of them quickly caught my eye. I thought it was a 2nd-winter Yellow-legged Gull, so called Richard over to see it, then had a go at some photos. It was preening, and I got about a dozen shots before it simply upped and left. Here's one of them...

Bit of a bruiser

Okay, first of all this is not actually a Yellow-legged Gull. Any gull buffs reading this will probably have spotted my noddy error. Anyway, here's how my thinking went at the time...

• Those fresh grey scapulars are way too dark for Herring Gull. Must be YLG.
• The fact that it's got grey scaps = 2nd-winter
• Lack of grey median coverts = retarded 2nd-winter. 
• Whitish head/dark eye patch combo = YLG

By the way, that last point fits 1st-winter Yellow-legged but not 2nd-winter. More faulty thinking. Sigh...

So you're getting some insight into how my mind works when presented with a gull that I have to think about. It's not pretty. I make some glorious cock-ups.

Well then, what is this gull??

Another photo...

See those very pale inner primaries? A big clue. 

The darkish grey scapulars suggest three options: YLG, argentatus Herring Gull, or Herring x LBBG hybrid. The pale inner primaries rule out YLG. So that's one down. Hybrids tend to be smallish birds, and this beast is a right hefty lump. So not a hybrid. Which leaves one option. And that's what I reckon this bird is: a 2nd-winter argentatus Herring Gull. I suppose a process of elimination isn't the best way to ID birds, but it has its uses. To be fair, everything I can see in my photos appears to fit that conclusion, so I'm happy to go with it. Interestingly though, argentatus HG is rare in Devon. I've seen more Casps by a long way.

One last photo, with a couple of regular argenteus HGs to illustrate its brutish proportions...

An impressive bird. 

Finally, a quick word of thanks to Steve Waite and Josh Jones for help with this one. Much appreciated.