I was at Cape Bridgewater yesterday and photographed a seabird that I cannot ID. Images can be found at http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-huq5qSlym-E/T5jsD6Of5eI/AAAAAAAABdA/Jsk9UrT7NQM/s400/%3fspecies.jpg
or on my blog at http://smissen.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/having-revised-my-plans-for-and.html (Sorry about the image quality – the bird was about 400 m offshore so images are heavily cropped) Thanks, Ian Smissen ===============================
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P10 on the left wing is growing in. If P10 is straight, then P9 seems to be missing and consequently P8 would be longest primary in the right wing. On the other hand – if I can count correctly – it appears that the longest primary may be P9 (and p10 is overly spread – hence the gap). The right wing seems to have all primaries in place. Anyway, I guess that something has screwed up the moult cycle in this bird. I still go for 3rd winter Kelp Gull. (I cannot “make it into” any of the Northern hemisphere dark-backed Larus-gulls).
Nikolas
Thanks to all those who have replied on and off list.
A few people have asked to see more. The bird was a fair way out to sea and is tiny in the full frame so I don’t have anything much better than what was posted on the blog but I have put together a sequence of unedited 100% crops at http://www.smissen.net/images/UnknownSpecies.jpg
(Note this is a wide image so, depending on browser seetings, you may need to zoom in for full magnification.)
When asking for ID help I prefer to give no opinion because “what is this?” is a very different question from “is this a Kelp Gull?”. I agree with others that it looks more like an immature Kelp Gull than anything else but I have not seen one with this sort of a hood before when the rest of the white parts (under body, tail and wing trailing edge) are so advanced.
Regarding the tern, yep, I agree it is a White-fronted Tern, not Common Tern as I originally ID’d it (what was I thinking?)
Thanks for your help
Cheers, Ian Smissen ===============================
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G’day Ian,
Are these images at 100% and have you got any more no matter about image quality. Kelp Gulls are variable but if this is a Kelp Gull it is very odd indeed, it’s plumage is sort of very advanced and very retarded all in the one bird. Did the bird have a clean white tail or were there some dark edges to retained outer tail feathers blown away in the white at low resolution. It certainly looks like a clean white tail with reasonably clean belly and incredibly substantial trailing edge to secondaries on what I can only guess is an otherwise retarded third winter bird.
Cheers Jeff.
To me, it looks like an immature kelp gull. No black band in the tail. What do others think? John Harris Wildlife Experiences Melbourne, Vic On Apr 26, 2012 6:53 PM, “ismissen@iinet.net.au” wrote:
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G’day again Ian
I reckon your tern is a White-fronted – not a Common. What do others think please?
Cheers Steve Clark Hamilton
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Hi Ian,
Looks like a very dark-hooded 3rd year Kelp Gull in winter plumage to me. The tern looks more like an adult winter White-fronted Tern to me (not a Common Tern).
Cheers,
Nikolas
G’day Ian
I reckon this is an immature Kelp Gull. A common site along the sw Vic coast these days. I can’t find a field guide picture that shows the hooded effect shown in your photos but everything else seems OK for Kelp Gull.
Nice pics of birds from our great cliffs.
Cheers Steve Clark Hamilton
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