Scilly Isles - approx 30 miles west of Cornwall, UK, - June 24, near St Marys Island (1 Viewer)

[Jamkat]

Hi,

I think all three of these are lesser black-backed gulls, but I wonder if experts could confirm that? The similarity to greater black backed gulls is close.

Thanks

 

[Mike Crawley]

You might not know but there’s a very active Isles of Scilly Bird Group

Isles of Scilly Bird Group – Birds and wildlife on the Isles of Scilly

www.scilly-birding.co.uk

In my humble opinion the three pictures depict a Greater Black-backed Gull. Very dark mantle and what look like pink legs on the second picture. Happy to be proved wrong, if anyone feels I’ve made a mistake.

 

[Southern Viking]

The first is a Lesser Black-back (contrast between upperwing and wingtip, and smallish white mirrors on outer primaries). The others are Great Black-back (massive bill, jet black uppers without contrast between upperwing and wingtip, pink legs and large white mirrors at the tip of outer primaries)

 

[Jamkat]

You might not know but there’s a very active Isles of Scilly Bird Group

Isles of Scilly Bird Group – Birds and wildlife on the Isles of Scilly

www.scilly-birding.co.uk

In my humble opinion the three pictures depict a Greater Black-backed Gull. Very dark mantle and what look like pink legs on the second picture. Happy to be proved wrong, if anyone feels I’ve made a mistake.

Thanks for you input Mike.

 

[Jamkat]

The first is a Lesser Black-back (contrast between upperwing and wingtip, and smallish white mirrors on outer primaries). The others are Great Black-back (massive bill, jet black uppers without contrast between upperwing and wingtip, pink legs and large white mirrors at the tip of outer primaries)

Hi, Thanks very much for your reply.