An adult Caspian Gull on the lake today. This couldn't be more of a Caspo than if it learnt to speak and sat on your shoulder, repeating "I'm a Caspo!, I'm a Caspo!" over and over. Check out the 'pear shaped' head the beady 'bullet hole' eye set against a white head, the long gape line, the darker (cp argenteus Herring Gull), mantle and the ridiculously long and parrallel sided bill. This is a large bird and, looking at the fairly prominent gonys, likely to be a male.
You didn't need to see much more on this bird sat on the water but here is more anyway. Note the long spindly legs and the classic adult wing pattern. P10, the outermost primary, is not quite fully grown but you can see it's white tip and the large white mirror on P9. The long pale 'tongues', eating into the black, can be seen well.
Another view of the primary pattern and again note the 'snouty', 'Slender-billed Gull' look of the head.
The Brent Goose circled and landed amongst the Canada Geese on the mound. The Canada Geese didn't like it and it flew off east.
wish some of the so called birders at Barnes would learn to recognise a Caspo - rather than call Herring gulls as Caspo's!
ReplyDeletePerhaps some of them would learn by looking at your lovely Larus cachinnans and note your comments!
Didn't realise Cetti was so rare at Beddington.
C
Yep, there are many Herring Gull and other Gull look-alikes Corinna, it's a question of getting your eye in. It is amazing that we've only had three Cetti's at Beddington as the habo is good for em. This latest bird seems to be wintering so fingers crossed that it stays and attracts a mate :-)
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