Author Topic: Black headed Gull Flyby  (Read 1484 times)

Cee Gee

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Black headed Gull Flyby
« on: Jan 15, 2019, 09:44:47 PM »
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Diasi

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Re: Black headed Gull Flyby
« Reply #1 on: Jan 15, 2019, 10:13:53 PM »
Why has it got a white head?
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Cee Gee

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Re: Black headed Gull Flyby
« Reply #2 on: Jan 15, 2019, 10:21:23 PM »
Why has it got a white head?



It is a juvenile ident by black spot.  It will get a black head when adult.

Diasi

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Re: Black headed Gull Flyby
« Reply #3 on: Jan 15, 2019, 10:22:42 PM »

It is a juvenile ident by black spot.  It will get a black head when adult.

Thanks for the explanation.
Make every day count, each day is precious.
"Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal".  (Cassandra)

Cee Gee

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Re: Black headed Gull Flyby
« Reply #4 on: Jan 15, 2019, 10:45:57 PM »
Thanks for the explanation.



Welcome  :) :)

Traveller

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Re: Black headed Gull Flyby
« Reply #5 on: Jan 16, 2019, 01:43:19 PM »
Nice shot.  How do you distinguish it from the Mediterranean gull?
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fortyone

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Re: Black headed Gull Flyby
« Reply #6 on: Jan 16, 2019, 02:54:52 PM »
On  the black head it depends when the photo was taken as they all look like that over winter.


Mediterranean gulls are quite rare compared to black headed gulls so the chances are any gull that looks like that is going to be a black headed gull. I'd certainly be hard put to tell the difference. That's why I carry a big zoom compact camera when birding - I can't get top notch pictures but they are usually good enough for after the event identification.

Cee Gee

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Re: Black headed Gull Flyby
« Reply #7 on: Jan 16, 2019, 03:14:46 PM »
On  the black head it depends when the photo was taken as they all look like that over winter.


Mediterranean gulls are quite rare compared to black headed gulls so the chances are any gull that looks like that is going to be a black headed gull. I'd certainly be hard put to tell the difference. That's why I carry a big zoom compact camera when birding - I can't get top notch pictures but they are usually good enough for after the event identification.





Hope this link works
www.bto.org/about-birds/bird-id/bto-bird-id-small-black-headed-gulls




Cee Gee

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Re: Black headed Gull Flyby
« Reply #8 on: Jan 16, 2019, 03:27:37 PM »
On  the black head it depends when the photo was taken as they all look like that over winter.


Mediterranean gulls are quite rare compared to black headed gulls so the chances are any gull that looks like that is going to be a black headed gull. I'd certainly be hard put to tell the difference. That's why I carry a big zoom compact camera when birding - I can't get top notch pictures but they are usually good enough for after the event identification.



Hi 41 I too carry a big zoom compact a SonyHX90 30X zoom, but I find it nigh on impossible to catch birds in flight at full zoom. Easy peasy with my D7100 and tamron 150-600 though. :)

fortyone

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Re: Black headed Gull Flyby
« Reply #9 on: Jan 16, 2019, 03:53:44 PM »
Blast. I've just lost a huge post and haven't the patience to recreate it.


In brief.
Thanks for the link.


I now only use a Panasonic Lumix TZ70 having sold all my larger DSLR kit because I couldn't be bothered to lug it around.

Traveller

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Re: Black headed Gull Flyby
« Reply #10 on: Jan 16, 2019, 04:59:30 PM »
Thanks Fortyone.  I appreciate that the Mediterranean gull is relatively rare, but they do appear on the N.E. coast of Scotland.  They were also breeding colonies at Langstone harbour in Hampshire - more or less across the road from where I worked.  However in those days I wasn't quite so interested in bird watching.
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zoony

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Re: Black headed Gull Flyby
« Reply #11 on: Jan 16, 2019, 05:12:19 PM »
I was interested in a report from China where the Twitchers are going mad for a European Robin that's appeared. Very rare for where it is. Maybe I can charge admission to my living room to observe mine.
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fortyone

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Re: Black headed Gull Flyby
« Reply #12 on: Jan 16, 2019, 05:39:53 PM »
The novelty for twitchers is birds off course. I posted a rather poor picture of a black winged stilt I'd seen on a reserve on the Wash. They are as common as dirt in many places but not there so it was causing some excitement. If CeeGee had been there with his kit it would have been a far better picture. I mostly use my pictures purely to help me identify a bird I've seen but can't immediately name.


There are supposed to be Mediterranean gulls visit Snettisham but they would hang out with hundreds or thousands of black headed gulls. I wasn't aware of the chocolate rather than black head - it's always looked black to me but the all white wings and the stockier appearance mentioned might make me take another look. I tend to ignore gulls as they are so common and mostly just squabble. Picking out the more elegant and interesting terns is about all I bother with in that area.

Ashy

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Re: Black headed Gull Flyby
« Reply #13 on: Jan 16, 2019, 07:25:42 PM »
Why has it got a white head?

It is so he can bathe in yoghurt without being seen. Brilliant picture.

Traveller

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Re: Black headed Gull Flyby
« Reply #14 on: Jan 16, 2019, 07:38:51 PM »
Here's one I took of a long tailed duck in Macduff harbour.

When I was last in Elgin, in the park there, were a lot of similar looking gulls - some with black heads, but other with distinctly dark brown heads.

 
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