2nd-Winter: Leigh Cockle Sheds, Essex - 22nd October 2006
Aged as 2nd-winter on the pale based bill and the recently replaced pale grey scapulars. The wing coverts lack the defined barring whilst the primary tips are rounded with whitish tips.
2nd-Winter: St. Mary's, Isles of Scilly - 19th October 2008
The mantle feathers are grey whilst the scapulars show anchor markings with darker bases. The wing coverts are more marbled than 1st-winter gradually becoming more solid towards the outer feathers, creating a dark wedge on the wing.
The eye is yet to pale .
2nd-Winter: Southend Seafront, Essex - 10th January 2009
The bill is two toned though still gives a dark impression. The odd pale grey scapular is present whilts the tertial and wing covert pattern is less obvious than on 1st-winters. An overall pale looking bird.
2nd-Winter: Southend Seafront, Essex - 10th January 2009
Most obvious is the largely pale bill with dark tip and the largely grey scapulars. The head and neck still retains a lot of streaking whilst the short primary projection lend to a dumpy looking bird.
Majority of the greater coverts are off white with only a trace amount of the former patterning though the inner most feathers still show the pattern strongly. This is also true for the tertials.
2nd-Winter: Southend Seafront, Essex - 10th January 2009
Even further progressed than the bird above here the inner tertials have been replaced and clearly pale grey. Note the differences in bill shape to the bird above: here it is more tapered whilst the head is rounder with the peak more or less above the eye rather than behind.
The wing coverts are very marbled and there is a good number of replaced scapulars. Note the short pink legs.
2nd-Winter: Southend Seafront, Essex - 10th January 2009
This bird is more advanced than the one above. More scapular feathers have been replaced adding the overall rather pallid appearance. There is less streaking around the head whilst the inner tertials show a different pattern to the inner feathers. The bill has a pale horn coloured base. The wing covert pattern is becoming increasingly diluted.
2nd-Winter: Southend Seafront, Essex - 10th January 2009
A large bird. The bill is obviously pale with dark tip. There is grey though not overly excessively streaked around the head. The under-pats hold obvious blotching.The wing coverts are heavily marbled whilst many of the scapulars a newly replaced grey. The tertials still show the dark centred bases with marbled fringed however there is at least one replaced grey feather with slight dark anchor.
The legs are stout and pink and the eye is pale.
2nd-Winter: Southend Seafront, Essex - 10th January 2009
The bill is clearly pale horn coloured with dark tip and the eye is pale. The new grey scapular feathers appear to be a shade or two darker then that of the same aged bird immediately behind perhaps suggestion this to be of a northern form.
The median covers are mostly white with dark barring which contrast with the more solidly centred outer greater coverts. A number of outer lesser and median coverts have been replaced with new grey feathers as have at least one or two central greater coverts. The inner greater coverts are whitish with obvious brown baring and anchor marks.
The tertials are dark brown centred with bold white tips. The tail band is more marbled and less defined than in 1st-winter and the number of bars on the under-tail coverts are greatly reduced.
Herring Gull - Larus argentatus
Second-years : page 1
2nd-Winter: Private Site, Essex - 7th March 2009
The 'saddle' on this bird is completely mid toned grey. The wing coverts are dark brown with nearly all of the median coverts being replaced creating a grey band along the wing. The greater coverts are rather solid looking towards the outers whilst become paler with more obvious barring towards the inners. From this angle it appear that an inner tertial has also been replaced. Note also the primaries are blackish with rounded ends and fine white tips.
The eye is pale and the bill yellow with a blackish sub-terminal band and paler tip. Brownish mottling is limited to the belly and lower breast area.
