Baltic and Heuglin's Gull Photo Essay by Chris Gibbins and Paul Baxter - part three
Plate 12. 2cy fuscus, Tampere, 21/07/01. Variation made it possible to identify individual birds; this individual is different bird to those pictured above.
Plate 13. 2cy fuscus, Tampere, 23/07/01. An individual with worn, retained juvenile, outer primaries, just visible beyond P8
Plate 14. 2cy fuscus, Tampere, 23/07/01. Although a different individual to the bird pictured in plate 13, the primary moult stage is similar.
Plate 15. Unidentified 2cy gull, possibly fuscus, Tampere, 22/07/01. Head and neck streaking rather heavy. The progress of the bird's primary (and primary covert) moult can easily be seen: P1-5 are new, P6 is regrowing, P7 is missing and P8-10 are old. In late summer, variation in primary moult among fuscus is extensive, with the most advanced birds being as much as a moult cycle ahead of the least advanced ones (Rauste, 1999).
Plate 16. Unidentified 2cy gull, possibly fuscus, Tampere, 23/07/01. Same individual as plate 15. Note the difference in the overall appearance of this bird compared to the fuscus pictured in, for example, plates 7 & 8.
Plate 17. Juvenile fuscus, Tampere, 23/07/01. Only small numbers of independent juvenile birds were seen on the trip. This individual has a rather buffy cast to the feather fringes and its primaries are not fully adult-length.
Plate 18. Juvenile fuscus, Stockholm, 20/07/01. This photo shows both upper and underwing patterns. Note also that this individual has a rather robust bill.
