Teesmouth Bird Club

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