Juvenile Caspian Gull, Shawell A5 Lagoons

I managed to get back to having my lunch break at Shawell A5 Lagoons today and one of the first gulls I saw was a smasher.

A juvenile Caspian Gull is a real prize for any British gull watcher and I had a belter today. So far I have found four juvenile Caspian Gulls over the years at Shawell (including this one),  plus a slightly controversial one last year. They don't stay juveniles for long, so get in quick. By September they are molting into first-winter plumage.

This one ticked all the boxes. The most striking thing about juvenile Caspian Gulls is just how plain they look. Compared to juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls they look washed out. The pale edge to the scapulars is very restricted and the coverts are much plainer than the other similar large juvenile gulls. There was a couple of juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls there as well, which allowed me to compare the different body shape of the two species. The long slender flat backed profile of the Caspian Gull was very obvious much of the time, especially when it was on the water. This one had lovely long slender legs.

The light had quite an effect on its appearance, in dull light it looked very washed out.

Juvenile Caspian Gull (L. cachinnans), Shawell A5 Lagoons, 10th August 2016

Juvenile Caspian Gull (L. cachinnans), Shawell A5 Lagoons, 10th August 2016