It's a big gull

We drove Youngshanks to the station this morning for his train back south and Mrs L's had great fun on the internet keeping an eye on his connections. Fun's probably the wrong word as two out of three of his connections went wrong, but in the end there was a cheer as the Peterborough train got ahead of the Cambridge train which means he'll be home only just over an hour late, otherwise it'd have been an extra half hour.

While Mrs L amused herself I headed out on a blip hunt. It's not been a nice day here in Perth. The thaw's started and it's damp and slushy underfoot and most of the day there's been some sort of precipitation in the air, damp snow, damp drizzle or just damp mist.

The Tay's been a good source recently so headed in that direction. There's a small island just upstream of Smeaton's bridge where gulls normally congregate. It's really too far away for any decent photography, however the ice has built up quite dramatically on it and they've moved to a new resting spot on flatter ice closer to the North Inch bank. Given the thaw this opportunity may not be around for long and as nothing as interesting as yesterday's otter turned up we're back on the esoteric gull blips.

Last Friday I started the series with a Third Winter Herring Gull. Today we have a Third Winter Great Black-Backed Gull. Smartypants among you will have realised therefore that this guy also hatched in the summer of 2008.

The Great Black-Back is our largest gull. Winters mainly along seashores, attracted by fishing activities. In many northern seaports common alongside Herring Gulls. Plumage development slow; takes at least four years to attain full adult plumage, and often 1-2 years more. Our bird has Saddle and median coverts greyish -black, contrasting with lesser and greater coverts, which are brown with slight paler barring. Tertials with brownish-tinged centres and irregularwhite edges. Head white with faint dark streaking especially on hindneck, bill dull yellow with black subterminal markings; starts to show red on the lower bill by late winter / spring.

A slightly less technical description would be "here we have a big young ice-cream-stealing black-backed seagull".

Do your homework and study in Large.