Gull ID please

[riggy]

Hello all

Please can someone help me with the ID on these gulls about 20 or so went over the pit top at Kiveton tea time Friday 14 August. I believe them to be black backed gulls and maybe Great Black Backed. My reason for this is the size and the size of the bill but without a bird to compare them to size wise I am unsure. They flew with a gliding motion if that is of any help. No calls were heard. The gulls came over in 3 main parties with the odd straggler they were heading in a southerly direction appearing to have come from a Northerly/NE direction.



Cheers

Paul

[aeshna5]

Lesser Blackbacks for me. The birds are slender with slim wings + the bill is not chunky enough for GBB. Also the mantle of the first bird showing is greyish, typical of British breeding race ssp.graelsii; GBB is a real black colour.

Wouldn't like to age the second bird from that photo but clearly an immature bird.

[riggy]

cheers

Paul

[Adam Cheeseman]

Lesser Black-backs for me too.

Cheers,

Adam