It was one of four adult Mediterranean Gulls present that day.
I found this bird on 30th July 2009 when it was moulting from 1stS to 2ndW plumage. It remained there all winter and has returned each winter since then. The left leg is non-functional and held retracted so it is easily identifiable at long range in the field. It was ringed as a pullus on 27th May 2008 at Kieldrecht, Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium.
The plumage transition through each successive year was typical until its 3rdW when it retained black marks on P8, P9 and P10. Most birds have black on P10 only by this time.
In its 4thW it still had black on P9.
Then in its 5thW it attained full adult plumage with a thin black line on P10 only.
An article here - http://birdingfrontiers.com/2012/11/22/medgullupdate/
One other identifiable Mediterranean Gull has returned here over several winters but no other bird has had this degree of regularity ...
Then the next day a visit to the sunny east coast at North Shields Fish Quay ... and in true Geordie fashion the quay is still open to visitors ... no security gates !
Gulls were perched on the rooftops and coming down to the water to feed regularly ...
... three juvenile Glaucous Gulls were present ...
... one of the other birds here with damage in the mid-primaries on the right wing ...
Then a very delicate presumably female juvenile Iceland Gull appeared ...
... quite an interesting individual with an almost wholly dark bill ...
... although the bill base looked slightly paler in different light conditions ...
... a rather lightly marked juvenile with darker tips to the upper wing coverts particularly although the under tail was well marked ...
...
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