Third-winter Kumlien's Gull

December had on the whole been a difficult month. Most Saturday's the gull had been shunning the sandpit and so most views were very distant. This was particularly frustrating especially after picking out juvenile Iceland Gull on the last day of November.

Today the gulls, filled with Christmas leftovers, were coming into the sandpit. After a flurry of Caspian Gulls I picked up a 'white-winger'. Obviously an Iceland Gull and a third-winter, but dark primary feather markings revealed it was a Kumlien's type. A Grey wash was very obvious on the outer webs of the primaries with the darkest markings being on the longest primaries. Two sub-terminal bars can clearly be seen on what is most likely P9 and P8. Considering the distance this has translated reasonably well in the photographs. The grey was actually more distinct through my scope.