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Subject: Glaucous Gull, Deep Bay [Print This Page]

Author: ajohn Time: 21/01/2012 14:16 Subject: Glaucous Gull, Deep Bay

I had a message today from Brendan that a Gloucous Gull was seen in Deep Bay from Tsim Bei Tsui. As well as TBT, I expect it may also be visible from the Mai Po Boardwalk (although maybe distant, according to the tide).
Good luck to anyone who goes out to look for the bird, and hopefully someone will update here with more details later.

Author: kmike Time: 21/01/2012 19:15

The bird was also seen from the new Boardwalk hide on the rising tide between about 4:15pm and 5:40pm.

It is considered to be a first winter bird, although the back and mantle are rather white and blotchy.

The key features to look for are

the long pink bill with a very distinctive short black tip
the all white flight feathers
size - slightly bigger than Heuglin's Gull

There was also a Slaty-backed Gull present and at least three Black-tailed Gulls

Image Attachment: DSCN9108 Glaucous Gull Mai Po 20 Jan 2012.jpg (21/01/2012 19:15, 112.68 KB) / Download count 833
http://www.hkbws.org.hk/BBS/attachment.php?aid=10612

Image Attachment: DSCN9114 Glaucous Gull Mai Po 20 Jan 2012.jpg (21/01/2012 19:15, 126.2 KB) / Download count 805
http://www.hkbws.org.hk/BBS/attachment.php?aid=10613

Author: tsheunglai Time: 25/01/2012 19:20

Dear all

I was lucky today (25th Jan 2012) to see the Glaucous gull when everybody was gone around
1:50 pm, possibly flying in from NSW when the tide was about to recede.

From my observation I would like to add some features of the bird seen:

a) It was deeply keeled (deep-chested) and the lowest point fell behind the standing legs.
It was interesting to see that in the distance the folded wing tips was nearly just touching the
tail-end . It therefore looked quite unbalanced and bulky, the front part of the body a lot longer than
the part behind the legs.
b) What's more, the undertail coverts looked very slopy, just like ducks.
c) When it's flying, the upperwings are all pale, of course all spread with pinky/light rufous
marks, extending to the rump and right on the whole uppertail. The wings looked rather broad and short
as well.
d) In contrast to other 1st winter gulls, its almost whitish upper hindparts noticeably wings and back
looks very pale in stark oppoiste to its counter lowerparts when the bird was facing away from the observer.

Cheers.
S L Tai

Motto: A bird well seen gets the observer firmly embedded with lasting and detailed memories.

[ Last edited by tsheunglai at 25/01/2012 21:31 ]

Author: hsheard Time: 25/01/2012 20:01

We saw this bird from the new boardwalk hide Mai Po circa 1.10pm today, is this the Glaucous Gull?

http://www.howardsheardphotography.com/Nature/Mai-Po-25th-Jan-2012/i-PKpmjpJ/0/XL/MG8543-XL.jpg

http://www.howardsheardphotography.com/Nature/Mai-Po-25th-Jan-2012/i-9fNkQt2/0/XL/MG8536-2-XL.jpg

http://www.howardsheardphotography.com/Nature/Mai-Po-25th-Jan-2012/i-G59Xr2B/0/XL/MG8539-XL.jpg

Howard

[ Last edited by hsheard at 25/01/2012 20:03 ]

Author: brendank Time: 25/01/2012 21:53

This appears to be too dark for a Glaucous Gull. Only seeing the front view it is difficult to know what it is but most likely a Hueglin's.

Author: ddavid Time: 25/01/2012 21:56

No. If you compare the bill on your bird with the bill of the bird in the original photos of Glaucous Gull, you'll see that they are quite different. Glaucous has a mainly pale bill with a dark tip - roughly 70% pale, 30% dark with a clear demarcation between the colours.

The bird in your photo has a mainly dark bil with some pale coloration bleeding into the dark at the base of the bill.

I'm not a gull expert. Your bird is probably a 1st-winter Heuglin's Gull, the commonest large gull that winters in Hong Kong.

David
www.hknaturewalks.com

Author: hsheard Time: 25/01/2012 22:04

Thanks a lot both of you!

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