Great Black-backed Gull; 2nd winter, Hole Haven Creek, Essex - February 2006
- Bill has become pale whilst retaining a dark tip, more extensive on the lower mandible.
- Head and body colouration, streaking and mottling as 1st-winter
- Scapulars have now more of a dark grey tone to the bases
- Lesser coverts as 1st winter/juvenile
- Median coverts are being replaced with grey centred, plainer feathers
- Greater coverts are plainer, white tipped and have a marbled pattering
- Tertials: outer feathers are 1st winter, central feather grey centred, inner feathers are buffish-brown centred with dark anchor markings
- White under-tail coverts have limited dark barring
- Primaries are black, round tipped and has small white spots to the tips of P9-P6.
Basic structure as expected.
Great Black-backed Gull; 2nd winter, Hole Haven Creek, Essex - 19th January 2006
- Bill has become pale whilst retaining a dark tip, more extensive on the lower mandible.
- Head and body colouration, streaking and mottling as 1st-winter
- Scapulars have now more of a dark grey tone to the bases though dark arrow-heads visible on numerous feathers white white tips to these feathers
- Lesser coverts as 1st winter/juvenile
- Median coverts are being replaced with dark-grey centred, plainer feathers
- Greater coverts are plainer, white tipped and have a marbled pattering
- Tertials: outer feathers are 1st winter, inner feathers are buffish-brown centred with dark anchor markings
- Primaries are black, round tipped and have very small white spots to the tips of P9-P6.
Basic structure as expected.
Great Black-backed Gull; 2nd winter, Hole Haven Creek, Essex - 23rd February 2008
Identification and aging as those above though note paler/frostier appearance and slightly larger white tips to the primaries.
Great Black-backed Gull, 2nd-summer: Westcliff Seafront, Essex - 24th April 2004
The mantle and scapulars have now been fully replaced with plain black whilst a few inner Lesser and Median coverts have also been replaced.
The greater coverts are faded showing little patterning on the outer feathers, appears as a pale greyish wedge.
The outer tertials are still dark brown centred with white tips whilst the inner feathers show a clear fine anchor pattern.
The head and under-parts are bright white with minimal dark streaking. The bills is mostly yellow with the red Gonys spot beginning to develop. The terminal band is most prominent on the upper mandible.
Great Black-backed Gull - Larus marinus
Second-years
Great Black-backed Gull; 2nd winter, Private Site, Essex - 7th March 2009
A very large bird. Aged as second-year based on the following:
- White crescents at the tips of the rounded primaries
- Largely pale based bill
- Scapulars dark slaty grey
- Greater coverts more diffuse, lacking defined patterning
Great Black-backed Gull, 2nd-summer: Private Site, Essex - 11th April 2004
The mix of older brown and more faded palish-white feathers with fresh newer slate grey feathers creates a striking mosaic pattern.
- The outer greater coverts are heavily faded and washed out whilst the inner feather retain more patterning
- The median coverts are darker and plainer and contrast with the paler lesser and greater coverts either side creating a band across the wing.
- The tertials are mixed new and old feathers but do show large whitish tips.
- Many of the scapulars are fresh dark grey feathers though a high percentage are retained first-winter feathers; pale/whitish with darker subterminal bars.
- The bill has become largely yellow with retained dark tip though the red gonys spot is now just visible.
Great Black-backed Gull, 2nd-winter: Undisclosed Site, Essex - 13th March 2010
Great Black-backed Gull, 2nd-winter: Undisclosed Site, Essex - 13th March 2010
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Great Black-backed Gull, 2nd-winter: Undisclosed Site, Essex - 31st December 2011
The upper-parts show a real diverse pattern however note the overall blackish feel to the tone on the scapulars and tertial bases.
The bird is large with typically large and square looking head with large dark eye and heave blunt tipped bill.
An overall heavy, short-winged and powerful looking gull.