Caspian Gull - 1st winter, Hole Haven Creek
7th February 2008
This is a particularly easy bird to identify; note the clean strikingly white head, long and low sloping forehead, long, slender all dark bill with the basal third only partially paler grey, the white ground colour, heavie streaking around the lower hind neck, the pale grey scapulars with dark shafts and whitish tips and fringes, the solid dark brown wing coverts with fine pale fringes and tips, the really dark tertials with barely noticeable pale tips; black tail band and strikingly white tail base and the long, thin pasty coloured legs.
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Caspian Gull - 1st winter, Hole Haven Creek
7th February 2008
The same bird as above but viewed from the other side. The same features as detailed above are apparant but also note the replaced inner median coverts. Compare also with the 1st-winter Herring Gull to the left of frame and the difference are readily apparent.
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Caspian Gulls are being found in the UK with increasing regularity, especially in the South East.
Over recent years my gulling in South Essex has gone from watching Paglesham Lagoon, 3 miles North East of Southend on Sea where gulls would come in to bathe from Barling Tip on the opposite side of the River Roach. This location produced many sightings for me and was a learning curve in identifying birds sat on water. I would also visit Barling Tip itself as there are several areas that you can view the actual from however it was reliant on grey days as I would tend to be looking into the sun otherwise.
I then explored the area to the south of Pitsea Landfill and discovered Hole Haven Creek as being a veritable gull haven. Whilst the tipping was occuring on the south side of the landfill thousands of gulls would visit the nearby West Canvey Island fields and upper horse section of the Creek. Perfect conditions for viewing here would be on either a rising or falling tide and with a north easterly or westerly, North Westerlies were hard as the wind would be right in the face and the birds would tend to face away. With the appropriate tides many hours of good gulling was possible with often multiple Casps being found, along with Glaucous and Iceland Gulls.
However as the tipping has now moved to the north side of the Landfill few gulls now visit the creek and best options are to look from Wat Tyler Country Park and when it opens in 2012 Bowers Marsh RSPB reserve. As I now have access to a Landfill gulling at these locations is no longer undertaken, especially as I have logged probably around 150 different individual Caspian Gulls in three winter seasons.
All of these locations have enhanced my appreciation of this species and improved my overall identification skills; from mid range floating birds at Paglag, to picking our distant birds in Hole Haven Creek to now having birds at point blank range. It has been a superb and fully consuming journey.
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Caspian Gull - 1st winter, Hole Haven Creek
4th March 2008
Clean white head with long, low sloping forehead with small beady eye forward in the face
The pale grey 'saddle' with darker transverse bars, feather shafts, anchor and paler whitish tips
The tertials are very dark, solid brown with white restricted to the tips with extension down the fringe extremely limited
Solid mid brown wing coverts, no barring, with obvious pale fringes and tips, especially to the median and greater coverts, even more especially the greater coverts, to create to obvious pale bars across the folded wing
The white ground colour to the body with only a little pale grey mottling
Very long pale pasty pink legs
Long slender bill with tapered tip and very little in the way of a Gonydeal angle. This bird has a predominantly pale horn coloured bill with dark subterminal band (most 1st year Casps will still have a predominantly dark bill).
The high chest giving the 'holding its breath' appearance
Caspian Gull - 1st winter, Hole Haven Creek 16th February 2008
A small and delicate individual, probably a female;
The head is completely unmarked white ensuring that the small beady eye clearly stands out
The basal two thirds of the parallel sided bill are pale
The wing coverts are typically patterned
A feature of Caspians when seen on the water is they tend to hold their wings up and away from the waters surface creating an almost banana effect
Caspian Gull - 1st winter, Hole Haven Creek
16th February 2008
Same bird as in the previous image; note that this second image is included as it was taken in flatter light than the sun enriched image above.
Caspian Gull - 1st winter, Hole Haven Creek 5th January 2008
A not so 'classic' an individual but all the characteristic's are there. note the followinbg;
Long slender all dark bill with slightly tapering tip and limited Gonydeal angle
Overall white looking head, though not as clean as on other 1st winters of the spcies
General pale whitish ground colour though this bird has quite a lot of grey mottling below though still within range of Caspian Gull.
The scapulars are a little more well marked than typical Caspian Gull and is similar to that seen on michahellis
The wing coverts rule out Herring Gull and have the Caspian pale 'double wing bar' created by pale tips to the rather solid median and greater coverts.
The dark brown tertials are solid with white tips extending only about a third of the way down the outer web
The structure of the bird is quite bulky and perhaps reminiscent of michahellis but is within range of larger male Caspians
Caspian Gull - Larus cachinnans
First-years : January to April - page 1
Caspian Gull - 1st winter, Hole Haven Creek 7th February 2008
A slightly dingier individual than most. All the classic identification aspects can be seen; the long dark primaries; solidly dark brown tertials with white limited to the tips and outer fringes; solidly dark centred wing coverts with obvious pale tips to especially the greater coverts; note a few inner median coverts have already been replaced. The scapulars are quite unlike Herring and Yellow-legged Gulls, being pale grey with dark diamond centres and pale tips. The head is small and whitish, not as striking as can be seen on some, with a sharp division with the heavily streaked lower hind-neck and greyer breast sides.
Caspian Gull - 1st winter, Hole Haven Creek 25th March 2006
A cracking bird was this one. Note the head shape, long sloping forehead, small isolated dark eye, long, slender and all dark bill giving a distinctive profile.
The bird has a very elongated appearance, a lot of bird behind the legs. Although the bird is already quite worn, the wing coverts look quite untidy, the solidly dark brown tertials with whitish tips and scapular and wing covert pattern show through.
Another aspect often seen by Caspian Gull is the often obvious handing rear belly. Although Herring Gulls can show this Caspians seen to show this far more frequently.
Caspian Gull - 1st winter, Hole Haven Creek
13th February 2008
A typical individual.
Note the relatively plain and uniform scapulars with minimal or not so obvious internal marking.
The scapulars contrast sharply with the relatively plain brown looking wing, due to narrow pale fringes to the wing coverts.
The tertials are darker brown with pale edges and the primaries blackish whilst the head and underparts are especially whitish.
Attention is drawn to the lower hind neck streaking; the lower bulging rear hind belly, the long slender dark tipped bill with darker cutting edges and small eye forward in the face.
A classic.
Caspian Gull - 1st winter, Hole Haven Creek
14th February 2008
Another slightly less obvious individual however note the following characteristics:
Mostly unmarked white head with light streaking behind the eye. The white and pushed up breast; The dark centred tertials long dark primary projection; the wing covert pattern though this bird shows a more hashed pattern. The obvious pale tips to the median and greater coverts. The underside is a little more darkly marked than on most Caspians but still appears a far paler bird than Herring Gulls of corresponding age.
Caspian Gull - 1st winter, Hole Haven Creek
14th February 2008
Wow, what a stand out individual this one is. It's hardly worth going through the ID features but of special note is the small pure, unmarked bright white head with limited pale grey streaking/mottled to the lower hind-neck and breast sides. The strikingly white appearance continues on the breast and rest of underside. The greater coverts are solid and are boarder by the obvious double pale whitish wing bars whilst the tertials are solidly dark brown with neat tips and fringes;
What a stunning bird.
Caspian Gull - 1st winter, Hole Haven Creek
13th February 2008
Slightly against the light here much of the plumage is not visible and is a perfect example of ID on jizz alone. Note the aloof appearance, standing almost bolt upright with long neck held outstretched. The head shape is classic, being rather small compared to overall bulk of the bird with sloping forehead and small dark beady eye and zero streaking.
This bird was also very large and was closer to Great Black-backed Gulls than most Herring Gulls.
Caspian Gull - 1st winter, Hole Haven Creek
14th February 2008
Same bird as above but in flatter light conditions. The lack of head streaking is clear as is the low sloping forehead down to the long slightly pale based, even sided bill. The underside is whitish with brownish mottling on the flanks. The mantle and scapulars are a very pale powdery grey with limited dark internal markings and are two generations. The wing coverts are worn and faded but the pattern is still obvious whilst the tertials are solid dark brown with neat thumbnail tips. Note also the hanging rear belly.
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