Iceland Gull with dark wing edges

This sub-adult Iceland Gull has been on Kilkee beach for the last two weeks along side the American Herring Gull.  I see Richard Bonser made comments online about it having a black spot on the left wing and dark edges to the outer primaries. I was intrigued, so I made sure to take shots and study the bird a little closer during my visit to see the AMG.  The bird had no black spots in any of the primaries, but a gap in the feather of P10 on the left wing and the edges of the wings were dark as Richard stated.  But most of the darkness on the under primaries was caused by sand and dirt that the bird picked up on the beach, as it scrambled for food with the other gulls. There was however some dark lines on the outer trailing edge of the primaries on the upper and lower of both wings that is not consistent nor the standard for Iceland Gull Larus glaucoides, but it did not appear to be anything else either such as Kumliens Iceland Gull from Canada Larus glaucoides kumlieni ?  I think it is just one of those that we will have to let go unless genetically tested.

 

 P10 is showing a lot of dark edges especially at the tip

 Here one can see the gap in the outer feather of P10

 Once again an indentation on P10 of the left wing

 The underside of P10 with sand spattered along the primary and dark edges to the outer tip

 Here the outer edges of all the under primaries appear dark

3CY or Sub adult Iceland Gull at Kilkee John N Murphy

Iceland Gull

Iceland Gulls have arrived on the Irish west coast from the North over the last few weeks. This first-winter bird was recently seen at Kilkee in the south west corner of Clare.

Iceland Gull, Kilkee © John N Murphy

Cormorant

These Cormorants were at Kilkee Beach today.  In the first photograph of two birds side by side, the left hand side bird is just coming into courtship plumage but the bird on the right has already reach full breeding plumage and is well defined.

Adult Great Cormorants with their white breeding path

Great Cormorant take off

Adult Great Cormorant displays its white breeding thigh patch

This Immature Great Cormorant will not get a white breeding patch till next year

Shag

Was in Kilkee this lunchtime and did a small bit of birding on the beach.  There were eight Purple Sandpipers, a good mix of other waders, one Peregrine and the Shags seen below.

Adult Shag

Immature Shag born last summer

Adult Shag getting its shaggy crest

First year Shag close up

Adult & immature Shag sun bathing