Hybrid Herring x Lesser Black-backed Gull in Edinburgh

Probably the best shot showing the ring on the right leg - palish yellow legs and mid-toned grey uppers

Hybrid gulls... By looking closely at the gulls of Edinburgh and Lothian over the last couple of years I've seen quite a few probable Herring x LBB Gulls without yet connecting with a YLG or Caspo. I was seriously considering making 2014 a hybrid-gull-free year by taking a beak from the search for southern European larids in and around Edinburgh. Well, what do you know, a hybrid argentatus x fuscus seems to have taken a shine to the grassy pitch outside my office window in Merchiston. It has been there for the last two mornings, but has disappeared before the light has been good enough for decent photographs. Even with my DSLR on hand this morning the shots are poor. Both days I have seen it in direct comparison with Herring Gulls and a single Lesser Black-backed Gull. Its mid-tone mantle and upperwing plus yellow legs are distinctive. Excitingly the bird is ringed on its right leg - although it will take a miracle to get close enough for a ring read I would imagine.

Hybrid HerringxLBB Gull on right with Herring Gull

A poor shot in the low light levels - but the wing-tip pattern can just about be discerned - a narrow band on P5 and typical pattern for hybrid

Sub-adult hybrid Herring x LBB Gull, Skateraw, 15 December 2013

 

 

I had only commented on Twitter yesterday that I had been unable to find a hybrid gull in Edinburgh for a few months (despite looking hard) when I picked one out at Skateraw Landfill site East Lothian today. Viewing is distant and the images poor. Aging these subadults is hard as I am pretty sure they follow their own rules in terms of plumage. This individual has white underparts and tail and a clear trailing edge on the open wing but signs of immaturity in the coverts and tertials.

LBB x Herring Gull hybrid, Musselburgh, 8 Aug 2013

Lesser Black-backed Gull, hybrid LBBxHerring Gull, Herring Gull (top–bottom)

I popped along to Musselburgh mid-afternoon to check the gulls. Loafing among the gulls along the river was one of the hybrid LBB x Herring Gulls that I found earlier in the week. I managed a better mantle comparison shot for this bird (Bird 2) than I managed earlier in the week. The (feral/formerly injured) Pink-footed Goose was back in the area - I haven't seen it for quite a few months.

Another mantle shade comparison but this time with a Common Gull with an apricot or rosy hue to its breast and underparts (centre). The hue is stronger in life than is captured by the camera.

Also of note was the first juvenile Common Gull that I have seen this season. It was alongside some adults that were hidden in among the Kittiwakes at the roost. One of the adult Common Gulls had the apricot (or rosy) tint to its white plumage. This seems to be very unusual - I think it is only the third individual that I have seen with this tint in the last three years (for one bird see here and here). It could, of course, be that I have seen the same individual three times. I have photographed this plumage tint before - although it seems that (like the rosy tint in other small gulls) the human retina is better at seeing it than the digital sensor in a camera.

Two more Herring x LBB Gull hybrids - this time at Musselburgh

Comparison shot showing different mantle tones of argenteus Herring Gull (left), graellsii Lesser Black-backed Gull (right) and Herring x LBBG hybrid (centre). This is Bird 1 of 2.

A extremely good morning of gulling at Musselburgh with Little Gull, Kittiwake and juvenile Mediterranean Gull (another!) at the Esk mouth and two hybrid Herring x Lesser Black-backed Gulls along the grassy banks of the Esk. All those Lothian year-tick waders on the scrapes (Wood Sandpipers et al.) will have to wait for another time...  Never mind, grilling these two argentatus x fuscus hybrids at close range made up for all the distant views I have had over the last few months. These hybrids closely resemble Yellow-legged Gulls, which are so rare in Lothian that every candidate has to scrutinised closely – in my experience every candidate so far has turned out to be a hybrid (see here, here, here, here and here). In addition, I now believe that this bird that I photographed at Musselburgh in 2010 and was the subject of this BirdForum thread was also a Herring x Lesser Black-backed Gull hybrid.

Here is today's first bird a sub-adult advanced third summer type plumage, perhaps, or retarded fourth summer...

Hybrid Herring x LBBG at Musselburgh 4 Aug 2013 (Bird 1): note mid grey upper tone and greyish pink leg colour. Primary projection is exaggerated by excessive wear of white margin on tertials - extent of wear can be seen by exposed rachis on furthest wing. Note band across P5 on nearest wing - narrow particularly on inner margin. Eye ring red.

Hybrid Herring x LBBG at Musselburgh 4 Aug 2013 (Bird 1): mid grey upper tone and greyish pink leg colour. Extensive black on underside of P10. Note excessive wear of what would have been a broad white margin on secondaries and tertials - extent of wear can be seen by exposed rachis. Eye ring red.

Hybrid Herring x LBBG at Musselburgh 4 Aug 2013 (Bird 1):  newly grown P1–3 show fresher colour but still overall mid grey tone. Greater signs of immaturity than expected when wings spread. P10–P5 on left wing show extent of black in outer primaries - this presumably will reduce as this moult continues and bird ages. Note band across P5 on nearest wing - narrow particularly on inner margin. Note excessive wear of white margin on inner secondaries and tertials.

Hybrid Herring x LBBG at Musselburgh 4 Aug 2013 (Bird 1): a view of the pattern of black on underside of primaries

Here is today's second bird, a sub-adult third summer type plumage, perhaps... Note that this bird is identical (apart from a slight difference to bill tip coloration) to the third cycle hybrid of known Lesser Black-backed x Herring parentage shown in plates 307–309 of Adriaens et al. (2012) Hybrid gulls in Belgium – an update British Birds 105, 530–542, which is quite easy to find online.

Hybrid Herring x LBBG at Musselburgh 4 Aug 2013 (Bird 2): note mid grey upper tone and pinkish leg colour.  Note band across P5 on nearest wing - narrow particularly on inner margin. Eye ring reddish.

Hybrid Herring x LBBG at Musselburgh 4 Aug 2013 (Bird 2): note mid grey upper tone and pinkish leg colour.  Although the bird is missing P6–7 on both wings the subterminal band pattern on both P5 can be made out here and it is complete but narrow on the inner margin.Note also the extent of black in the tail.

Hybrid Herring x LBBG at Musselburgh 4 Aug 2013 (Bird 2): P6 is growing on left wing. Extensive black/brown in the tail and extensive brown secondaries.

Hybrid Herring x LBBG at Musselburgh 4 Aug 2013 (Bird 2): Not only is this bird almost identical to the one in Adriaens et al (2012) but it is almost identical to the one I photographed nearby in 2010 and was discussed in BirdForum here.

Finally, here are both birds together, with a Herring Gull. As I was photographing the second bird the first flew up river and checked me out to see if there was any more croissant going!...

2 hybrid Herring x Lesser Black-backed Gulls at Seafield, Edinburgh

Both Herring x Lesser Black-backed Gull hybrids* were in among the gulls at Seafield today. Though it took quite a number of hours before the sub-adult (above) appeared on one of the factory roofs. This bird has a particularly broad band on P5, which would be a pro-YLG characteristic. As a sub-adult though we might expect a little more black on the wing of the hybrid as well. Through the scope the dark eye and dark marks on the primary coverts were clear - the latter are obscured in these shots, although the third (blurry) iphone-scope pic shows the width of the band.

*I am assuming that these two birds are both hybrids, rather than Yellow-legged Gulls...

Here are some shots of the adult bird from today. Seen on rooftops and in flight.

Adult Herring x LBBG hybrid* at Seafield again

Adult presumed hybrid Herring x LBBG. Same bird as seen 16 Feb, still present at Seafield today 21 April.

*All references to hybrid status are presumed based on phenotypic characters

Seafield again - grilling the gulls. I was hoping to get another look at yesterday's sub-adult Herring x LBBG hybrid but instead connected with the adult bird seen at the same site on 16 February. Interesting to see that this bird is still around. I managed four sightings in flight and on factory roofs. Each time it landed it was obscured. Each time it flew it was possible to track it given its mantle shade in between LBBG and Herring but given the number of gulls around at the recycling centre it was easy to lose in the throng.

Compared with yesterday's bird it has a longer grey tongue on the inner web of P10 and a band of uneven width on P5 - narrower on the inner web.

Once again, very fortunate to get any shots of it at all.

Check out those grey flight feathers...

Another yellow-legged gull type at Seafield: Sub-adult Herring x LBBG?

Hybrid Herring x LBBG? The bird in question is at the centre of the shot, sandwiched between two paler mantled Herring Gulls and with a darker mantled Lesser Black-backed Gull in front.

Rather than check east along the coast for migrants I decided to make my now customary trip to Duddingston, Figgate and Seafield. Highlights at the first two sites were the songs of recently arrived Phylloscopus warblers Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler as well as the unexpected bonus of a Nuthatch at Figgate Park. The latter is quite possibly the first record for the site, but it did not hang around for long but instead headed North like a migrant. Wonder how far it got before changing its mind - after all the Firth of Forth would not be its preferred habitat...

The darker grey mantle and yellow legs are visible in this shot

Checking the gulls at Seafield, I approached the roost carefully. After about 10 minutes I noticed that a bird had arrived that had an interesting mantle shade - a Yellow-legged or hybrid Herring x Lesser Black-backed Gull shade. Slightly bulkier than the accompanying Herring Gulls its primary projection seemed long and had reduced white tips. At this stage I was convinced that when it moved into shallower water it would show nice yellow legs - and so it did. I assumed that it was one of the same birds that I saw at the site in February, but closer examination shows that today's bird is a sub-adult with some dark marks on the primary coverts and a dark iris. So, the third or fourth of these hybrids (presumably)that I have seen this winter/spring - this one even more like a Yellow-legged Gull than the last in my opinion - just would need a little bit more black on primaries 8, 7 and 6 to convince me. Any comments?

This wing stretch shows grey tongues cutting into the black on the underwing more than would be expected on a YLG. The upperwing pattern is close to YLG with a reasonable black band on primary 5 (note P10/9 are overlapping on this image)

Noise from the nearby recycling centre spooked the gulls unfortunately. In this shot the hybrid is the hindmost bird taking off with its feet still in the water. Note the yellow legs, subterminal mirrors on P10 and P9 (small), grey tongues on primaries and complete band on P5.

This shot shows the mantle shade nicely compared to both Herring and LBBG.

This is the best shot of the upperwing. Note the dark marks on the primary coverts combined with the dark iris indicate that this bird may be a sub-adult. Note the strength of the subterminal band on P5 - this is certainly sufficient for a Yellow-legged Gull - unfortunately the underwing perhaps indicates otherwise...

Lesser Black-backed Gull aggression

These two Lesser Black-backed Gulls were fighting this morning on St Margaret's Loch in Edinburgh. Preceded by some very noisy calling and bowing movements this aggression is not uncommon for this species.

First migrants return

I managed a brief trip out yesterday to check a couple of local spots - Duddingston, Figgate Park and Seafield. At each site a small number of Lesser Black-backed Gulls were in evidence - almost all new arrivals I am sure, back from their wintering grounds further south and west. Most that were close enough for scrutiny looked to be large enough and heavy billed enough to be males, though that is a difficult call with isolated individuals. Two LBBGs from both my office window in Merchiston and over the back garden earlier in the week also indicate that the arrival of these smart gulls has begun. Other changes include Collared Doves back in Liberton and Figgate Park, a Pochard and pair of Gadwall on Duddingston. Bring on the spring!

Stringy Rook and another hybrid Herring x LBB Gull?

I managed to squeeze in a couple of hours of gulling today. As the tide was in I checked the loafing area beside the pipe-pile at Seafield but found it almost deserted. After twenty minutes the best I could do was a handful of BhGs, Herring Gulls and a single Lesser Black-backed Gull. Scanning the corvids revealed two hybrid Hooded x Carrion Crows on a roof and a distant static Rook on a pole atop a portacabin. Switching to my scope the 'Rook' morphed into a falconer's Harris's Hawk (!) tethered to the spot. Ha! I wonder whether that is the first time that particular misidentification has been made? The bare skin around the bill and dark plumage had been massaged by my brain into the most-likely candidate... So, my second exotic raptor of the year, and the reason why the gulls were largely absent. Deterred, I headed around to the sewage works where it turned out there was lots of gull activity.

I was hoping for a white-winger of some sort but the best I could do was this possible hybrid Herring x LBB Gull. Possible argentatus Herring Gull given the wingtip pattern and pinkish leg colour (with only a hint of yellow). Characteristics favouring hybrid are the slight build - much more like a LBBG than a Herring Gull and the mantle shade that seems to me to be too dark to be an argentatus Herring Gull. Any ideas?...

The same bird was easily picked up when it moved to the sea. Unfortunately the light was poor...

Herring x Lesser Black Backed Gull Hybrid?

After wrongly considering Herring x LBBG hybrid (argentatus x fuscus) for a darker Herring Gull a couple of weeks ago I had a much more persuasive bird today at Athelstaneford. I was out looking for gulls and found a few hundred behind the plough in the village that allowed long and good looks. An hour in and nothing other than usual fare, which was enjoyable enough, but just when I was thinking of moving on the plough went home for lunch and this bird dropped in. Presumably the same bird that Stephen saw in the area earlier in the year, I was quite hopeful of a Yellow-legged Gull until I saw the spread wing.

No dark subterminal band on Primary 5 means that YLG is out and YLG hybrid unlikely. Instead the bird looks like a perfect hybrid to me - spot on for the amusingly colour-ringed 'blue KRAP' from Zeebrugge that featured in BB recently. Comments welcome...