Baltic and Heuglin's Gull Photo Essay by Chris Gibbins and Paul Baxter - part two
Plate 6. 3cy fuscus, Tampere, 21/07/01. Note the contrast between newer, blackish primaries and the older, browner ones. This bird shows rather more brown coverts than is perhaps typical for this age group.
Plate 7. 2cy fuscus, Stockholm, 20/07/01. Note the typical mix of worn, brown second generation scapulars and wing coverts and newer, fresh third generation feathers. The tail feathers on this individual are fresh, second generation ones.
Plate 8. 2cy fuscus, Stockholm, 20/07/01. A different individual to plate 7 (note relative patterns of brown and black coverts). As with plate 7, this bird shows a rather moth-eaten head, indicative of moult.
Plate 9. 2cy fuscus, Tampere, 21/07/01. Note the complete set of fresh, blackish primaries
Plate 10. A 2cy bird, presumably fuscus (?), Tampere, 21/07/01. This bird shows rather complicated patterning on the median and greater coverts.
Plate 11. 2cy fuscus, Tampere, 22/07/01. Large numbers of Finnish fuscus were ringed so there is hope that a least one feature could be used to identify a vagrant with certainty.