Mastodawn

Forget this "You can do it if you put your mind to it" bollox. Some things are just impossible for some people. Identifying Gull species is one. If you ask an expert why that one is a Herring Gull and that one is a Common Gull you will be there for a month. What they are trying to say is "Because it is - ok?". So people, which is which? Punters with my surname are barred from answering. #Ornithology #Seabirds #Gulls #Nature

@JohnDal I'm not going to print the answer because I cheated and googled the difference!

John Dal 6d ago

@chris There is an RSPB video on telling them apart, which I watched. I'm stiill no farther forward. Apparently one of them has the worng shaped head. Eh? It's bird shaped.

Spoiler Alert

Google told me:

"Common Gulls are significantly smaller than Herring Gulls, and their bills are thinner and lack the red spot on the lower mandible characteristic of Herring Gulls. Common Gulls also have yellowish-green legs, while Herring Gulls have pink legs"

With your high quality photos this makes it easy, but telling them apart from a distance would be nearly impossible.

Bert Sgroggins 6d ago

@JohnDal Gull on left is Common, yellow legs, dark eye no red spot on bill. HTH

John Dal 6d ago

@BertSgroggins But at some stage of it's lifecycle could those not apply to a Herring Gull?

Bert Sgroggins 6d ago

@JohnDal The bill of the Common is smaller (proportionally) with less of a hook, also the young Common have much more patterning in their wings than Herring. I bet we both know someone that is itching to get in on this!

John Dal 6d ago

@BertSgroggins We've already had the discussion on WhatsApp.

@JohnDal All white-headed large gulls are one and the same species. Fight me.

Sarah Dal 6d ago

@JohnDal only one of them is going to nick your chips

John Dal 6d ago

@sarahdalgulls At las, a workable solution. Always carry a handful of chips.

Sarah Dal 5d ago

@JohnDal no self-respecting Guller travels without a bag of crisps or some white bread to lure them in

Kolombiken 4d ago

@sarahdalgulls @JohnDal No, both are going to nick your chips!

@JohnDal the bottom one is a herring gull, look at its scowl

robtherunt🌱💚6d ago

@Beedazzled @JohnDal
Defo! Herring gulls always have that air of “don’t give a shit”

Mike Torr 6d ago

@robtherunt Ironic, really, given the huge quantity of shit that can come out of just a single one of them. I know - my car got bombed once!

robtherunt🌱💚6d ago

@macronencer 🤣

@robtherunt @JohnDal I should say herring gull are practically the only gull I can reliably identify

robtherunt🌱💚6d ago

@Beedazzled @JohnDal
But don’t get too close

@robtherunt @JohnDal I rescued one, aged about 10, caught up in fishing line . Swam out and grabbed it, removed the hook, then nursed it until it could fly again. Mother spent a fortune on fish! I have loved them ever since

John Dal 6d ago

@Beedazzled @robtherunt I know someone who raised a Lesser Black Backed Gull from a chick to "fly off to the Mediterranean" age, having been presented with the chick. It was a bit ot a pest, to be honest. This was a typical "Feed Me" pose.

Darkoneko 6d ago

@JohnDal different shoes ? 🤔

Chris Laprun ⏚5d ago

@JohnDal @jastrow I don't know which is which but the eyes are clearly different from one picture to the other…

Paul Edwin 5d ago

@JohnDal They're both seagulls. HTH.

[runs away]

Paul Edwin 5d ago

@JohnDal More serious answer: without thinking about it too much, I would say the one with the red spot on the beak is a Herring Gull. Not because of the red spot, but the shape of the beak, and mostly the look of absolute evil in its eye.