13th August 2016 - Topsham
Less than satisfactory photos. I'm afraid, but here's my first juvenile
michahellis of 2016. A fairly typical bird and not one of the monsters that occasionally turn up. It can be difficult to convey just how straightforward these things can be; you can describe finer points of structure, of tertial edges and tail patterns or degrees of wear and moult and yet sometimes it just comes down to an immediate impression: it just looks like one.
(I should also admit that they can sometimes be very tricky, variation within LWHG taxa can be astonishing and that's not even starting on hybrids!)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6rtEyKNHUUZHbHoxn3ThyphenhyphenFu1fHpixgkOeyWT5Q-mfvpp6JSrfdcWWF7DI42rg5xSsc-LIxHaZ_FlFbaDehBX-AYlfLndmZAr8FuKUSKWdkq5xse1VACA9RvZ4GNOmMhfZi5pNfcKgitc/s640/DSC_2845.jpg) |
Yellow-legged Gull juv/1w - Topsham Rec 13/8/2016 |
|
Pretty much my first view and really all you need to id it.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifZpb7kbGWJtxrhwOTWDi7gHSKPhgPWHw28spF26SRB5ndVGHiZtnvao4G54ZQhiUr7h2Cjtc-u31OzdgXHvL3D8dz_71TUcvjdf2m_x7iRLTf22iEV2EfYeT5172VgnuWsUJY5B_FTP4/s640/DSC_2857.jpg) |
Yellow-legged Gull juv/1w - Topsham Rec 13/8/2016 |
Long wings, long legs, deepish bill and square head.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBM9fepUIbCDtbHDddAOuNk1wShRjhIYb-E-rsPYbXJiAQVCDqJa6k9n-dYBF63yLLJ2pK8BUi2CkijjblXMv6cNodIVS7EhdT8DHTbORhogJmjG8wLjAA2usGU0tC_40lryCUOBZM5I4/s640/DSC_2880.jpg) |
Yellow-legged Gull juv/1w - Topsham Rec 13/8/2016 |
White head with dark eye patch, quite well-marked flanks.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-84tpuTf9fHgUvTgFevpzseJ8Tt_0fbWSUc8aKgNMIjGSowPohzzNFOVq4-uVWeOlFGtIX6xexa72MdTeyP9D-nC5t5TFwhq4wdktCq14Da-d1ffRnekWhRWYPRKkkdUkPrCDMbPVffY/s640/DSC_2899.jpg) |
Yellow-legged Gull juv/1w - Topsham Rec 13/8/2016 |
Simple fringes to tertials (only tips) wing coverts and scapulars - not much barring or notching. Much more worn than juv HG or LBBG with obvious moult in scaps.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha2KIJJnWE3kaOs1OCsIYFf4EcDwKbzyiFDHvoBgwg40rtJ_sfliI7BBdokEWn3mJoc81HFSge0xMMOQP1RQZx3IBGkoWw57HqZuwzmFWydHR3J86zFgcm_YSxwYmi1EZbN371QYXJdJY/s640/DSC_2924.jpg) |
Yellow-legged Gull juv/1w - Topsham Rec 13/8/2016 |
It spent most of it's time doing this, shuffling a few metres when the tide rose.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJmWpgOEAu2gGeCWRZfvK1OQIAv_eTahQsOvIlBStFIiPyAugfEZVXKdYSbAScmbobI61oP3EEQRoYFcvMzMg7uhz09ihHuss1ktE7Rc4z7jUgHfagG74HiW9c7cnqIA0jYbgm3gr_SY/s640/DSC_3025.jpg) |
Yellow-legged Gull juv/1w - Topsham Rec 13/8/2016 |
Whitish tail base with a few large blackish spots and a neat black tail band.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgehIJ-phoj_nzKLnHQym_QzCMsbA4cPiV4vnJ0YqlFiyxLAKIZ2RldEu7cryjuKyitUgwn4NBRGT8FM8C8FmKlIlf_5moT9ItrOlCZwWD1aaDySHT4zEPKbWIsK21RgsBs86-d-Az_Urs/s640/DSC_3031.jpg) |
Yellow-legged Gull juv/1w - Topsham Rec 13/8/2016 |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1_vfpR7xhRfX7QnYTZ3DAvK9GKcWjMMavMHox4tOrdxTif3Cia5X3CvO1PwyYAGiuPNYXxcTFdZ2dVJTD47nvlblSCrDErCKUTuTIQetOr8IFDciazgtvjHMwyFvFRPyaiL4GQEWQ4wg/s640/DSC_3093.jpg) |
Yellow-legged Gull juv/1w - Topsham Rec 13/8/2016 |
Square head and deep hatchet bill.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVLMqhRE_e2UNUhyphenhyphentQJc70fKH0DYkwM5IhM8J12l1NlWMHGVUMBkE80AVCOIAUeIFZCUcAl9ClQgsgubHLXkcolNW9oyAtHePfLiqSFC0W8g5IkHx3oGDC9KyGV6ZnoElKpT8Cj2vbF6E/s640/DSC_3099.jpg) |
Yellow-legged Gull juv/1w - Topsham Rec 13/8/2016 |
Dark inner PP and largely dark based GC.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvCvEElykVeRlPgUKhHHSXkmjsZatCZWaZnagc0gC6F9hkQYO17JCwuZ-Tm2yYnih6YnAr78__hyRgdghoDRGJTXe_Va9G2k0oMfakOkRCrQRXgaIayWpzeaARyCayGTQ3gZHBKVVXVU8/s640/DSC_3107.jpg) |
Yellow-legged Gull juv/1w - Topsham Rec 13/8/2016 |
White upper TC and tail very white at sides (a little over exposed I admit).