I nipped over to Shawell on Friday lunchtime and almost the first bird I clapped eyes on was the adult Kumlien's Gull. As I mentioned before, this bird does need to be scrutinised. The dark markings on the otherwise pure white primaries are quite easily missed. However, there are some clues to its identification without seeing the darker markings on the primaries. The image below shows it to be a fairly robust bird, with a squarish head, a primary projection that doesn't look that long in comparison to the LBBGs and a short bill. The upperparts generally appear a little darker than a typical adult Iceland Gull too. These are all features of Kumlien's Gull.
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| Adult Kumlien's Gull, Shawell Sandpit (Larus glaucoides kumlieni) |
Those looking for it may mistake it for an Iceland Gull; especially as there is room for confusion as an adult Iceland Gull is also visiting Shawell as present. The adult Iceland Gull is a smaller bird with round head giving it a cuter look.
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| Adult Iceland Gull, Shawell Sandpit (Larus glaucoides) |
The image below shows the dark marking on the outside edge of the longest primary feather.
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| Adult Kumlien's Gull, Shawell Sandpit (Larus glaucoides kumlieni) |
