Yellow-legged Gull's ~ 1st. W ~ Dungeness, Kent - 01.09.13

Three different 1st. winter birds this week at Dungeness, Kent near the fishing boats ...

All in advanced moult, replaced scapulars with well defined anchor base's ..

Yellow-legged Gull # 1

 

Big, stout looking bill all black .. Dark mask around the eye .. Some scapulars replaced with defined anchor markings to base ..  Solid dark tertials with pale egdes and one replaced ? ..

     

Solid tail band tapering to outer edge against a white upper tail, very noticable in flight ..

Dark under-wing and axillaries with dark barring ..

Tail pattern shows well here same as the scapulars and dark trailing edge to the wing ..

Yellow-legged Gull # 2

Big, stout looking bill all black .. Dark mask around the eye .. Some scapulars replaced with defined anchor markings to base .. 

Dark under-wing with coverts being replaced showing paler areas

Yellow-legged Gull # 3

This bird really had me and im still not convinced being a novice, its appearance is quite cachinnans like but feel certain features are more ylg.

This bird has a paler appearance, long legged but not lanky ..

High chest and dropped ventral bulge ..

Longer billed and less gonial angle ..

Which gives it a cachinnans look ..

Surely greater covert marking rule out cach .. 

Solid and even tail band with bars against white upper tail ..

Pale inner web to inner primaries but not distinctive ..

  

Tail band is most distinctive in flight .. 

Snouty long billed look and ventral bulge cach like ..

Pale under-wing but axillaries still darkly bar ..

Again another great catch of gull's but not a cach !!

Unless im wrong ?