Another juvenile Caspian x LBBG or Heuglin's?

[Ruud Altenburg]

Remember this juvenile from Spain?

On 21-11-10, Zbigniew Kajzer photographed the bird below at the Polish Baltic coast at Kołobrzeg. If I were to picture a juvenile hybrid Caspian x LBBG it would look like this. Given the slow pace of moult and very fresh plumage for a November bird, by no means I would exclude Heuglin's either...

[lou bertalan]

hi ruud,

beside the long-legged appearance i see nothing that would exclude a 1cy baltic gull. some can be very pale on underwing.

greets,

lou

[Ruud Altenburg]

Challenge: show me a picture of a fuscus with tibia like this!

[JanJ]

Finding a Baltic with a long tibia is not easy but not impossible. However, finding one with a similar long-legged impression is probably more difficult.

If this one counts, it comes close:

http://picasaweb.google.com/CCBOBS/Less ... 9563489650

JanJ

[lou bertalan]

Finding a Baltic with a long tibia is not easy but not impossible. However, finding one with a similar long-legged impression is probably more difficult.

If this one counts, it comes close:

http://picasaweb.google.com/CCBOBS/Less ... 9563489650

JanJ

from the same series this one also looks quite long legged. http://picasaweb.google.com/CCBOBS/Less ... 3147120226
maybe the original is a heuglini but what can we go on beside the leg length?

lou

[JanJ]

Well, just to mention one more for the sake of the longs.
This one was seen in northern Denmark some years back:

http://www.netfugl.dk/pictures.php?id=s ... re_id=8504 (some more pic of this on Netfugl)

and here:

http://www.birds-of-denmark.dk/sibiriskmaage.htm

As far as I know, a positive ID was established.

Jan

[Ruud Altenburg]

Jan, how on earth could that bird be positively identified as a heuglini?

I think I got a little carried away, I concur it's probably a fuscus, here's another example of a bird with rather long tibia.

[JanJ]

Jan, how on earth could that bird be positively identified as a heuglini?

I think I got a little carried away, I concur it's probably a fuscus, here's another example of a bird with rather long tibia.

Regarding the danish bird and it´s ID, I was wondering the same of course. I think KMO made some comments (and saw it himself, and I was on my way to watch it, being not so far away att the time but hesitation got in my way), about the scapular pattern and long leggs if I remember correct.
I will say no more on the subject untill I ask him myself.

Well Ruud - got carried away, perhaps, but then again, who dares to even consider an unringed juvenile heuglini, even at the location given due to...you know what I mean Sets people on, a good thing at least!

Jan

[JanJ]

The putative heuglini back in 2005 eventually died. Features such as Herring size, less long-winged compared to Baltic, second gen scapular pattern, sharply defined pattern against more diffuse in Baltic. made way to speculate in heuglini, which where not of any danish birders, incl KMO, definitive settled as heuglini.

http://www.netfugl.dk/pictures.php?id=s ... re_id=8509

http://www.netfugl.dk/pictures.php?spec ... s&search=1

Jan