L. canus candidate (Mew complex)

[bill rudden]

12-10-09.  Mel Price L&D spillway.
Frame 1
 even tone below (coffee w/cream);

Frame 2
 unmarked greater coverts; wide tail band tapering R6 

Frame 3
 brown edged (smudged) wing linings

Frame 4
 brown primaries; unmarked inner webs of inner primaries 

[Amar Ayyash]

Interesting bird Bill. I'm sure you've ruled out brachyrhynchus because of the tail coverts.

Thanks,
Amar

[JanJ]

Hi Bill.

Interesting Gull. By the looks of it - pointed primaries and som other features, certainly an older individual than 1st cycle, probably a 2nd or 3rd cycle, depending what species you have in mind. Wheren´t it not for the tiny bill and adult like grey greater coverts - I would suggest a Herring Gull. In one of the Mew gulls age and pattern wouldn´t agree to one another, but it would in Herring (perhaps except the feature I mentioned). Nore doesn´t it fit a Ring-billed, for the same reasons as mentioned for Mew.
So what... I´l rest for the moment...

JanJ

[Michael Retter]

Well, it's clearly a 1st cycle 3-year (Mew/Common/Ring-billed) gull. All I can say without looking at resources, though.

[bill rudden]

Interesting bird Bill. I'm sure you've ruled out brachyrhynchus because of the tail coverts.

Thanks,
Amar

NO.

[Amar Ayyash]

Bill wrote: NO


OH. What age did you have in mind?

Amar

[JanJ]

Of course I meant 'rounded primary tips and not pointed'!

JanJ

[Robert D. Hughes]

Interesting bird Bill. I'm sure you've ruled out brachyrhynchus because of the tail coverts.
Thanks,
Amar

I'm not quite sure what this bird is but I think the lack of barring on the tail and the extensively white underwing coverts rule out L.c brachyrhynchus.

Bob H

[JanJ]

Well - as can be seen on ID-FRONTIERS the suggestions is in favour of Ring-billed gull.
My comment on the shape of the primary tips was in error, which I can see now blowing the images up, not so rounded as I thought but rather pointed. The bill size is of course not a good Herring feature, but very good for RBG. The tail band confused me a bit for a RBG.

JanJ

[bill rudden]

Well - as can be seen on ID-FRONTIERS the suggestions is in favour of Ring-billed gull.
My comment on the shape of the primary tips was in error, which I can see now blowing the images up, not so rounded as I thought but rather pointed. The bill size is of course not a good Herring feature, but very good for RBG. The tail band confused me a bit for a RBG.
JanJ

Thanks for your comments Jan, your always succinct. 
You saying it reminded you of a Herring Gull pushed me to posting on IDF.