Herring gull winter plummagegull

A newbie question i'm sure but would I be correct is saying this is a HErring Gull in its winter plummage. Thanks

  • Hi Eddie
    Your gull is a young bird but ageing gulls can be very difficult, especially differentiating between Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls. I would suggest that this is a first winter, 1st calendar year (1cy) bird, (in other words, the bird fledged earlier this year). Most probably a Herring Gull but I don’t have enough experience with them at this age to rule out a Lesser Black-backed Gull without seeing the outstretched wings.
  • Thanks for the answer Paul.

    I took the photo in the grounds of Belfast City Hall this morning. The gulls have mostly gone from the city apart from a few adults and I thought it was a bit late in the year.

    All the young once fldeged migrated to the Lagan were they gathered in four or five large groups over July/August before moving on. (see photos below)

    Im still trying to tell the difference. For instance I thought this photo was of a Herring Gull but now believe it may be a yellow-legged gull..

    Young birds gathering on the Lagan 25 July.

    Gathering on the Lagan 23 August

    A few of my own photos here