brendank 25/01/2011 22:39
Vega Gulls
23 Jan 2011--Mai Po
The adults in the first photo seem straight forward to me--streaked nape and pink legs.
In the second photo the bird in the front has too much mottling in the tertials for Heuglin's Gull in my opinion and rather pale greater coverts. It also doesn't look heavy enough built for Mongolian Gull. The bird in the back may also be Vega Gull but not too sure on that one.
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cgeoff 26/01/2011 13:30
Agreed. However, I think the rear bird in the second photo is not vegae. The pattern of tertials, scaps and, in particular, greater coverts indicates heuglini.
Having had such a cold midwinter period, the late winter may prove rather interesting for gulls.
Geoff
brendank 26/01/2011 15:33
On the rear bird the tertials seem a bit too pale with a bit too much white mottling for typical heuglini. Perhaps it is completely heuglini but it seems to me there is always some possibility of integrades between Heuglin's and Vega although the breeding ranges of both "forms" seems not well known at this point.