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[2cy vs. AD] Black-headed gull (Larus ridibundus)

It's quite easy to aged 2cy Black-headed gull (Larus ridibundus). This post should help ringers to do it. There are two main features to differ 2cy and Ad:

2cy:- alula dirty dark, with dark outer
- bill and legs orange or dark orange

Ad:- alula clear white/silver
- bill and legs red

fot. Marcin Sowa - 2cy alula, dirty dark

fot. Marcin Sowa - legs of 2cy

fot. Marcin Sowa - feet of 2cy

fot. Marcin Sowa - bill and legs of 2cy

fot. Marcin Sowa - bill and legs of ad

fot. Marcin Sowa - ad alula, clear white

Dutch Bewick Swan, latvian Whooper Swan and german Greylag Gooses

Today Zbyszek Kajzer had lucky day. He observed just one Bewick Swan (Cygnus columbianus bewickii) in the large flock of 180 Whooper Swans (Cygnus Cygnus) in Wiejkowo near Wolin. Surprised the swan had the dutch neckband! yellow 950A .

Also Zbyszek read latvian Whooper Swan (Cygnus Cygnus) blue 1C75 and Greylag Gooses (Anser anser) yellow N91, H32 and H81.

fot. Zbyszek Kajzer

How to colour-ring the Black-headed gull (Larus ridibundus)

We are using two kinds of colour rings in Polish Black-headed Project: made in Canada and made in Poland. Some of the ringers have problem with putting a colour ring on the leg without break it. Rings crack especially when the temperature outside is below 0 degree. Then the material is hard and unextensible so using pliers is not good solution.

On the movie below i show the easy and safety way to colour-ring the Black-headed gull (Larus ridibundus). I used a colour ring prodeced by Interrex as example. It takes only few minutes. What you need is just the pen (should be quite thick to put the leg into) and glue. If you ring gulls in this way for sure you will never break any colour ring.

Ready

Rubbish dumps

Some sights from polish rubbish dumps.

fot. Luksza Borek

First from Leczyca, where Lukasz Borek observed on friday: polish Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus) (see photo and life history) and belorussian Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) with long life history.

fot. Lukasz Borek - belorussian Herring Gull with red plastic ring

The life history
R I N G I N G D A T A
Date .......... 18.06.1999
Place ......... NEAR KAMENPOLIE VILLAGE, MIORY DISTRICT, VITEBSK REGION, BELARUS (BY28, former SU28)
Co-ordinates .. 55°38' N 27°32' E
Species ....... LARUS ARGENTATUS / HERRING GULL
Sex ...........
Age ........... PUL (unable to fly)
Other data ....
Ringer ........ NIKOLAI YAKOVETS
================================================================
This bird was observed also:
29.12.2000 Poland, Gdansk-Szadolki (Pomorskie) 54°20' N 18°33' E
19.12.2001 Poland,Konin rubbish dump 52°13' N 18°16' E
3.1.2002 Poland,Konin rubbish dump 52°13' N 18°16' E
23.7.2001 Germany, Muggelsee, Berlin-Kopenick 52°26' N 13°40' E
5.10.2003 Poland, Dzwizyno near Kolobrzeg 54°09' N 15°24' E
1.11.2003 Poland,Zielenieniewo, Stargard Szczecinski 53°22' N 14°56' E
23.1.2004 Germany, Tollensesee, Neubrandenburg, 53°33' N 13°15' E
29.2.2004 Poland,Zieleniewo, Stargard Szczecinski 53°22' N 14°56' E
12.3.2004 Poland,Leczyca, rubbish dump Stara Dabrowa 53°26' N 15°05' E
27.10.2004 Poland,Morzyczyn, Stargard Szczecinski 53°21' N 14°56' E
4.3.2005 Poland,Szczecin-klucz, Zachodniopomorskie 53°21' N 14°34' E
05.09.2009 MIEDWIE LAKE, MORZYCHYN, POLAND 53.21'N 14.55'E


fot. Lukasz Borek - polish BHG (Larus ridibundus)

The life history
ringed as 1cy 2007-12-23 Stargard Szczeciński Polska, Zachodniopomorskie 53°20'N 15°03'E

was obserwed also:
2007-12-26 Morzyczyn. jez.Miedwie Polska,Zachodniopomorskie 53°21'N 14°55'E
2008-01-05 Morzyczyn jez.Miedwie Polska, Zachodniopomorskie
2008-01-11 Morzyczyn jez.Miedwie Polska, Zachodniopomorskie
2008-01-13 Morzyczyn jez.Miedwie Polska, Zachodniopomorskie
2008-01-23 Morzyczyn jez.Miedwie Polska, Zachodniopomorskie
2008-02-04 Morzyczyn jez.Miedwie Polska, Zachodniopomorskie



Next the Lubna rubbish dump where Michal Rycak and Marcin Sidelnik obserwed the Caspian Gull (Larus argentatus cachinnans)with wingtag. The bird was ringed by Grzegorz Neubauer in Poland.

fot. Michal Rycak

Probably Croatian Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis)

Today Piotrek Zientek were on Trzebiatow rubbish dump where observed the adult large gull with yellow ring S1KA. There is no exactl information about project on the Cr-birding.

fot. Piotr Zientek

fot. Piotr Zientek

The Łubna rubbish dump

Łubna rubbish dump is the largest stockyard of waste in Poland, so one of the best places to watching and reading gulls. Recently Michal Rycak and Marcin Sidelnik have read the 1cy Caspian gull (Larus cachinnans) with yellow plastic ring. The bird was ringed this year in Poland.

fot. Michal Rycak

See also some photos from Lubna at Bird pictures: Gulls in Amsterdam

Scary tits

Last weekend i was ringing birds at my feeder (Stargard Szczecinski). I caught standards like: Great Tits (Parus major), Blue Tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) and Greenfinches (Carduelis chloris). Two of great tits looked scary, first had a big tick on the neck and second large scab on the head (ringed 2 years earlier in the same place).

fot. Marcin Sowa - trapped birds


fot. Marcin Sowa - Great tit with tick


fot. Marcin Sowa