Spotted this fellow on the Tophill reserve, but could not ID it. Thought Juv BH Gull or Little Gull but colour wrong in many areas. Leg colour, Wing/Tail has definite Brown cast - no black to be seen, bill/beak seemed wrong to. Thought Juvenile for a while but wings definite gray - no speckled markings at all. then thought perhaps very old, as wing feathers seem in very poor state. Havn't a clue. Can somone confirm its ID.
It's a 2nd calendar year (1st summer) Black-headed Gull Derick, as you suspected. They can be quite variable.
Juveniles aren't away from the nest colonies yet (but any time now). They will look predominantly fresh brown/white, unlike this bird, which, as you noted, is very worn/faded. Most gulls retain their juvenile wing feathers into their second year, so they can be visibly worn by the time they get moulted in the bird's 2nd summer/autumn, especially if the bird has spent time somewhere warm and bright like southern Europe/Africa!
Hi Steve, Many thanks for your very detailed explanation. I could only guess, but it is good to have confirmation and the reasons laid out as to why it is such.
Regards
Derick