Gulling is complicated!

Right now I can't think of any other group of birds that has larger variation than gulls. Maybe it don't exist. Still there has do be something that makes us watch them, follow their every move. Looking up ID articles on the internet,  reading peoples comments to new discoveries, follow ringed birds, reading throw books. It seems that birding has something more to it.

Just recently I have wondered why we keep resourcing and trying to get more information. Why can't we just walk past it and say it's a bird? Personally, I have never managed to make up a good answer to that question. Still, I keep it up. Take photos, reads. I think that these questions isn't that important actually. The main thing is that we do.

Well, this wasn't supposed to be so philosophical. I was actually reading about Common Gulls. Which isn't that bad. Still they have an enormous variations.

Martin Garner just posted (2 hours ago) a post about Russian Common Gulls (ssp heinei). This made me think, and of course search the internet for more... I didn't find a whole lot more about them. A lot of literature seems to describe canus and heinei in the same block, something that shows how small differences there are. Martins gull looks really good. Still, how could we know that it isn't a extreme extreme canus? Do anybody know how weird a canus can look? We have only tried to identify birds since the 19something and it's clear that there is so much to learn. The digital photo world has made it easier, but there isn't enough photos of Common Gulls yet. We need a lot of rings on the birds as pullus. First then we can get photos of extreme variation.

Even harder than Common Gulls is the Iceland problem. What is a Kumlien's? When can we put it at the back of (or front in English) the "Iceland Gull"? GullDK just posted this one. It gets your mind running! I agrees with the points, still I think that we need more people resourcing on it. Personally I am a fan of the Kumlien's=hybrid between Thayer's and Iceland. It kind of explain every variation in the range. At least if the hybrids is reproductive!

White gulls in Møre and Romsdal

A trip to Møre and Romsdal in the Winter-vacation gave a lot more white gulls than earlier expected. Summing up the week have given at least 90 different Iceland, most likely a lot more. Sadly only three Glaucous where found. This post will mainly look at ID on the white ones. Of course some ringing data from the trip will be looked at. Starts of with some easy identification.

3cy Glaucous Gull

3cy Iceland Gull

Blue JM5Z is ringed as 3cy+ at Valderøya. It has been refound one time  in Ørsta. Here it is in Mauseidvåg.

Now over to the not so easy ones. This Iceland was found in Mauseidvåg some minutes before the marked one over. I think this bird is a 4cy. 5cy is certainly hard to exclude. Still I don't think a 5cy would have had so much dark markings in bout tail and coverts. Also, this bird show some Kumlien's features. I personly don't think it's enough for confident ID on Kumlien's but I'm sure some people would have disagreed with me. I didn't manage to get any good flight shoots of the bird. Actually quite hard to locate in a large fish-eating flock of hungry Herrings!

4cy Iceland Gull (Kumlien's?)

4cy Iceland Gull (Kumlien's?)

4cy Iceland Gull (Kumlien's?)

Another one. Kumlien's? Shows some dark in primaries on the water, but seems to be limited to small dirty spots on primary-center. Still not enough to claim Kumlien's in my head.

4cy+ Iceland Gull

Most white gulls during the week was 3cy. Under follows two photos from same day, same time, and almost same place. Still clearly two different birds. First one looks nice for Kumlien's be first look, but again, I don't think it's enough. Dark on inner primaries, but utter web seems to be light colored. Out of the Kumlien's rage or? Looks quit like this one: A' Type 1' sailed eider and an extremely dark 'Iceland' Gull Not the Eider, but the gull :)

3cy Iceland Gull

This one on the other hand looks more like what I had expected from a 3cy Iceland. Shining white primaries!

3cy Iceland Gull

Finally, one good looking Kumlien's. Wing pattern seems to be perfect. Even really week, but still.

4cy+ Kumlien's Gull

Just one nice white one at the end.

3cy Iceland Gull

And to everyone looking for Glaucous Gulls, watch out for this!

Herring Gull

Same one as over

Crazy winter in Norway!

As I wrote about the 13., a lot of white gulls have been seen this winter in Norway. When we look at Icelands, it seems impossible to come up with a sensible number. But a quick count of Artsobservasjoner gave 115 different birds only today! 55 of these in Sør-Trøndelag. The one location with most birds was Uthaug Havn, ST with 24 individuals! It also seems like the second Kumlien's from Sandsøya only was the start of a bigger wave of this ssp. Today a lot more Kumlien's where found in Sør-Trøndelag. When will the first Thayler's show up?! Here is a compare photo of the number of Iceland Gull records from January 2012 v.s. January 2011:

The Glaucous was back at Vaterland today. Let us look at one more photos from some days ago.

White Gulls!

So far this winter a lot of Glaucous Gulls and Iceland Gulls have been found along the coasts of Norway. Some in Oslo and Akershus as well. Two Glaucous and one Iceland so far. At the Faraoes they have over hundred Iceland right now, about 30 Kumlien's. It have also been one Kumlien's in Norway this winter, one at Sandsøya 11 January.

Photo: Ingar Støyle Bringsvor

Today, Ingar, found the second Kumlien's gull of the year! Also at Sandsøya.