Scanning through the gathering flock on the beach at Dungeness, I was drawn to the large bill of this bird.
Once clear of the other gulls, my first thoughts were of caspian ...
I grabbed a record shot, it was now the waiting game for it to come closer ..
The flock are still flighty and the slightest thing seems to flush them, then its relocating the bird again ...
It came in only further away at the back of the flock, and was soon flushed again by walkers, this time tracking it and securing some flight images ..
Once settled back on the beach it was a quick check of the back of the camera, then came the tail pattern !!!!!
A text to MC & AL but thrown off track by the tail and then trying to send a back of camera shot which just wouldn't send ...
I'm trying to piece the puzzle together but the bits don't fit !!
What with the near high tide and a couple who sat to close they flushed the flock and the bird didn't return, we tried again on sunday and couldn't draw it in with the rest of the flock !!
Once home and the features start to come together they suggest the possibility of ...
Larus heuglini
The experts soon helped out and dark tailed caspians are regular from core populations
The experts soon helped out and dark tailed caspians are regular from core populations
Caspian Gull ~ 2cy
Most striking is the tail band solid dark all the way up to the uppertail coverts, with fine barring to outer feathers ...
On the upper rump, heavy blotchy markings, fading down in to the uppertail coverts ...
Greater coverts are solid brown, with a pale marking towards the terminal end and white tipped ...
Secondaries are dark brown, tipped white and give the dark trailing edge to wing ...
White head with fine streaking to hindneck ...
Long bill, black with base becoming pink ...
White eyelids are quite prominent ...
Scapulars are white tipped with dark shaft streaks, diamonds & anchor markings ...
Pale grey mantle ...
Inner primaries with pale inner web ...
Tertials replaced show darker shade of grey to mantle ...
Underwing coverts finely barred brown with axillaries dark barred ...
A great looking bird ..
And a very interesting bird to learn from ...
Now I need a trip to somewhere around the Black Sea coast for plenty of Caspians ...
No comments:
Post a Comment