Saturday 3 December 2011

2nd winter Iceland Gull & another Caspian Gull (prob see below)

'The bird above is not the regular, classic looking Caspian Gull that has been visiting Appleford over the last few weeks. It is a very odd gull, obviously with cachinnans tendencies but very heavily marked scapulars. The most strange thing was its state of moult. It had second generation tertials, all inner greater coverts and many other wing coverts. It even had a third generation tertial on the left side and one or two third generation greater coverts on both wings. Intriguingly it was carrying a yellow ring on its right leg. It would be good to get the number so the parentage can be confirmed. Gulls have been given yellow rings over the last three years from colonies in Lithuania and Poland; they included Yellow-legged, Caspian and Herring Gulls and their
hybrids'. 

Taken from the Oxon Bird Log written by Lew.

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