It's a common gull - honest

Today's weather in Perth was much the same as yesterday's, continuing thaw and continuing dank mist. The ice bank by the North Inch is still shrinking, but was well populated allowing this riveting series to continue.

Regular viewers who've been doing their homework will of course have immediately realised that this is not a Common Gull, but it is our most common gull a Black-Headed Gull.

Yesterday we had a First Winter Common Gull, today it's a First Winter Black-Headed Gull, hatched this summer. Note vertical head-streaking, hindneck mainly whiteish, body as adult, but wing and tail as juvenile. Base of bill and legs often duller and more orange-toned than adult.

This is the smallest of the gulls in the series at 35-39cm. Now a common visitor to the garden, the bird's habit of venturing into urban areas appears to date only to the 'Little Ice-Age', a run of cold-winters in the 1880s and 1890s when factory workers would feed the birds scraps during their lunch hours

Outside this series I'd already blipped a pair of Adult Winter Black-Headed Gulls, but in this series we've now had one example from each of the "common" gulls readily viewable in Scotland.

Third Winter Herring Gull.
Third Winter Great Black-Backed Gull.
First Winter Common Gull.

Do your homework and study in Large.