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Declan Skehan 2008 |
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10th
February 2008:
Upper Image: Four Iceland Gulls - four of the five Iceland Gulls seen in Sligo Harbour this winter in one frame!
Middle four images: Second-winter Iceland Gull
Lower Image: 1st winter Iceland Gull
Click on images above to
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Images © Declan Skehan 2008 |
5th
February 2008: The above images by Declan Skehan show a side-by
side comparison of the palest first-winter Iceland Gull in Sligo
Harbour at the moment (left) compared with the darkest (right) to show
the range of plumage tones that can be seen in first-winter birds.
The right-hand image has been flipped horizontally for the
purposes of comparison.
Click on images above to
see larger versions |
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| Images ©
Declan Skehan 2008 |
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5th
February 2008: Two very pale Iceland Gulls are in
Sligo harbour at the moment - a first-winter and a
second-winter bird.
Top image - Pale 1st-winter Iceland Gull
Lower three images show the pale 2nd winter Iceland Gull
Click on images above to
see larger versions |
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| Images ©
Mícheál Casey 2008 |
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| 29th
January 2008: Second-winter Iceland Gull at Quay Street Car
Park
- note the horn-coloured bill, the pale iris, and the contrast between
the scapulars and the greater coverts (and the slightly grey tone on
the scapulars). |
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| Image ©
Declan Skehan 2008 |
Update
30th January 2008: Declan Skehan's excellent flight shot of
the darkest of
the three birds, although much brighter images, show the
coarse
body markings, the dusky primary webs and the brown primary tip
markings rather well. The consensus is that this bird is at
the
dark and strongly-marked end of the normal spectrum of Iceland Gulls,
and is not a Kumlien's Gull. Some birders have remarked that
these very dark and coarsely marked Iceland Gulls have been seen more
frequently this year at other sites such as Killybegs and Galway.
Unfortunately
the second-winter Herring Gull (upper right bird in the bottom image)
has
become entangled in what appears to be fishing gear - nylon line and
lead weights.
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on images above to see larger versions
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| Images ©
Declan Skehan (top image) and Mícheál
Casey 2008 |
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25th
January 2008: This first-winter Iceland Gull was strikingly
dark, with dusky outer
primary feather webs and dark tips. Unfortunately no flight
shots
were obtained at this time.
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on images above to see larger versions. |
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| Images ©
Declan Skehan (lower image) and Mícheál Casey
(upper) 2008 |
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25th
January 2008: Light-coloured first-winter Iceland Gull at
Quay
Street Car Park - Iceland Gulls often look very bleached at the end of
the spring - this bird was strikingly pale.
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| Images ©
Declan Skehan (upper) and Mícheál Casey (lower)
2008 |
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| 25th
January 2008: Medium-coloured Iceland Gull at Quay Street Car
Park - this bird is more typical of the first-winters that have been
seen in Sligo in mid winter in recent years. |
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