22nd April 2014 - Topsham
I know this is getting to be a regular feature on this blog, but here's another apparent hybrid gull from Topsham Rec this afternoon. It had a darker mantle than the Herring Gulls alongside (though possibly a little too dark) and yellowish legs (though the colour was not really bright or deep enough) but it ultimately failed as an acceptable
michahellis on it's primary pattern - a very thin black band on P5 as well as rather too obvious white 'tongue tips' behind the black on P5 & P6. I don't think I can match this with a previously photographed bird so it appears to be a new individual, yet another presumed Herring x Lesser Black-backed Gull.
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| Hybrid Gull - 22/4/2014 Topsham |
The mantle is clearly darker than adjacent HG and paler than the LBBG on the right. The legs and feet are yellowish or yellow/pink, not deep bright yellow.
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| Hybrid Gull - 22/4/2014 Topsham |
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| Hybrid Gull - 22/4/2014 Topsham |
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| Hybrid Gull - 22/4/2014 Topsham |
P7-10 look fine for
michahellis but note the white 'tongue tips' behind the black on P5 & 6 and the fine black band on P5.
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| Hybrid Gull - 22/4/2014 Topsham |
Just supposing for a minute that these dark-mantled yellow-legged gulls are all extreme examples of
michahellis, why the very atypical P5, the dull yellowish legs and why are they nearly all small, apparently female birds? Is anyone else seeing these birds or are they just following me around?
Hi Tim - it is amazing you are getting so many. Most people would surely pass them off as ylgs. I can remember seeing odd gulls like yours when I birded the north end of the Exe but I rarely encounter any down this end. That said, most gulls at this end of the river are distant and difficult to study. Surely there is an argument that with lesser black backs breeding in Exeter in small numbers the hybrid likelihood is relatively high and would account for the bulk of your sightings. Your posts on the subject are fascinating so please keep them coming. Have you had any younger age classes of these hybrid types?
ReplyDeleteHi Matt, if you've noticed them before I'm sure you'd pick them out even at distance down your end of the estuary. But you're right, I suspect many would indeed pass these off as YLG - there aren't too many of us spending much time looking at the things, a blank look or a quick change of subject is the usual response when I mention hybrid large gulls. They could well be locally bred - if I had the time I'd like to do a survey of all the Exeter pairs - but mixed pairs are known from Bristol also. As for younger birds, I've had a couple of 3rd winter types but suspect younger birds are just getting lost among the variation shown by even 'pure bred' birds. And I do wonder at the wisdom of downgrading YLG from a full description bird for Devon, it may be obscuring the hybrid problem.
ReplyDeleteBTW is the Glauc still hanging around the quay? Haven't been down for a couple of weeks and wanted to see how its moult was progressing.