Contributor
Date
Location
- Age and sex
- Adult, Unknown sex - X
Observation details
Said to be a third year bird. Single bird observed for around 15 mins, it flew off and then not seen again. Short article has been published - hard to confirm subspecies. See article available on web, Heuglin’s Gull Larus heuglini on Wetar Island, Banda Sea: the first Indonesian record COLIN R. TRAINOR, IMANUDDIN and JON WALKER Text from article: On 30 October 2008, a gull (see photo BirdingASIA 12, p.85, Plate 1) was observed to fly over our (CRT & Imanuddin) heads and land on rocks near the mouth of the estuary. At the time we were unable to identify it, but between 07h30 and 08h30 we took about 20 photographs down to 15 m from the bird, and these were later sent several gull experts to assist with identification. The gull was silent and thirsty—it drank freshwater from the stream about 15 times. It flew off twice—after about 20 minutes, and again after 40 minutes of observation—and was not seen during two subsequent visits to the estuary on 31 October and 8 November. Based on the bird’s large size, bare part coloration (with pale yellow legs), and plumage (combining a dark grey adult-type ‘saddle’ with worn brown wing-coverts and tertials, and an unmarked white head), the gull appeared to be in third-year type plumage (Ruud Altenburg pers. comm.), and it was eventually identified as a Heuglin’s Gull Larus heuglini (following Inskipp et al. 1996), here defined to include nominate heuglini and subspecies barabensis and taimyrensis. The plumage shown in Plate 1 is typical of immature faster-moulting large gulls, which include Heuglin’s and also Mongolian Gull L. mongolicus (N. Moores pers. comm.). Heuglin’s Gull is currently treated as a species by OBC (OBC 2009) but the IOC (http://www.worldbirdnames.org/names.html) include it with Lesser Black-backed Gull L. fuscus and BirdLife International include it with Herring Gull L. argentatus (BirdLife International 2010). Many gaps remain in our understanding of these (and other closely related) taxa, so its exact subspecific identity may remain unknown (Nial Moores pers. comm.).
Technical information
- Model
- SP570UZ
- ISO
- 125
- Focal length
- 92 mm
- Flash
- Flash did not fire, auto
- f-stop
- f/4.5
- Shutter speed
- 1/160 sec
- Dimensions
- 1074 pixels x 1395 pixels
- Original file size
- 666.35 KB