Birds In Flight - Post Yours!

[A1original]

Black-headed gull
View attachment 8581

Nice catch!

 

[Jack Dawe]

Pied Crow, South Africa

 

[Capn Jack]

In the Caribbean

JAK_0607 by Jack Silver, on Flickr

 

[pcs]

To and fro the take away

 

[Levina de Ruijter]

Nice catch!

Thanks, yeah, I got lucky!

 

[Jack Dawe]

Lesser Black-backed Gull not yet one year old.

 

[Levina de Ruijter]

Lesser Black-backed Gull not yet one year old.
View attachment 8693

Jason, how can you tell it’s a black-backed and not a herring gull?

 

[Jack Dawe]

Jason, how can you tell it’s a black-backed and not a herring gull?

It's quite subtle, but the best clue is that, overall, it's darker. The dark grey on the back, the all-black tail feathers, the blackish bar along the rear edge of the wings, the lack of a translucent mirror at the bend of the wing (a very good indicator that, especially from below). It all adds up.

 

[Levina de Ruijter]

It's quite subtle, but the best clue is that, overall, it's darker. The dark grey on the back, the all-black tail feathers, the blackish bar along the rear edge of the wings, the lack of a translucent mirror at the bend of the wing (a very good indicator that, especially from below). It all adds up.

So even in their first year they're darker. I have several juvies flying around at the moment. I think the black tail feathers and the blackish bar along the rear edge of the wings will be the easiest to spot in flight, for me anyway. Thanks! Your knowledge of birds is truly impressive, especially since gulls are notoriously difficult to ID.

 

[Levina de Ruijter]

Magpie