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sea gulls question...

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  • 08-04-2010 8:56am
    #1
    astronige
    Closed Accounts Posts: 39 ✭


    hi .. i`ve recently moved areas and are currently on the coast which i love...
    am i right to have noticed that seagulls seem to be back (or maybe just making their lovely noises again lol ) i noticed it yesterday wedneday 7th april .. i write the date as it will stay on here as a reminder for me next year i hope lol

    i used to live in centre of country and I used to see gulls each winter time when they move in from the coast etc...i never really noted the date or approx times they seemed to move inland
    Tagged:


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    #2
    ytpe2r5bxkn0c1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    Can I suggest that you get a bird book and find out what bitds these Gulls are? There are no Seagulls just many different species of Gull. Herring Gulls, Breat Black Backed Gulls, Black Headed Gulls, Mediterranian Gulls etc. These are with us all year round. Various Terns join us for the Summer months.

    These links might help but a good book can't be beaten.

    http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/families/gulls.aspx

    http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/families/terns.aspx


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    #3
    astronige
    Closed Accounts Posts: 39 ✭astronige


    thankyou, excellent links to good site thankyou
    I now have some binoculars (from lidl very good for price )so may be able to spot which gulls they are at last :-)


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    #4
    LostCovey
    Registered Users Posts: 1,717 ✭✭✭LostCovey


    Addilynn Witty Optometry wrote: »
    There are no Seagulls just many different species of Gull. Herring Gulls, Breat Black Backed Gulls, Black Headed Gulls, Mediterranian Gulls etc. These are with us all year round. ]

    Just to split hairs a little here.

    A lot of our gulls leave for the winter, going south & west to France & Spain, and most of our wintering gulls come from the UK, continental Europe and Scandinavia. So although we see a lot of the same species, they are not the same birds.

    It is likely that the wintering birds that you were seeing inland were foreign visitors.

    LostCovey


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    #5
    Stephentlig
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,114 ✭✭✭Stephentlig


    LostCovey wrote: »
    Just to split hairs a little here.

    A lot of our gulls leave for the winter, going south & west to France & Spain, and most of our wintering gulls come from the UK, continental Europe and Scandinavia. So although we see a lot of the same species, they are not the same birds.

    It is likely that the wintering birds that you were seeing inland were foreign visitors.

    LostCovey

    I disagree, I think its the other way around, its the same Bird, just not the same species. :confused:

    I could understand and accept your logic more if you told me a passerine was different to a seabird, then I would agree with that as they really arent the same Bird. confused.com? :D


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    #6
    LostCovey
    Registered Users Posts: 1,717 ✭✭✭LostCovey


    Stephentlig wrote: »
    I disagree, I think its the other way around, its the same Bird, just not the same species. :confused:

    I could understand and accept your logic more if you told me a passerine was different to a seabird, then I would agree with that as they really arent the same Bird. confused.com? :D

    Sorry, I probably didn't explain that well.

    OK, if we take a species like Black-headed Gulls. They breed all over Europe - also here. They move south to winter. Our Black headed Gulls go to Spain etc for the winter. Scandinavian and Scottish Black-headed Gulls come here for the winter. We have the same species winter and summer (Black-headed Gull) but the birds we have in summer are different birds to the ones we have in winter.

    Hope this helps

    LostCovey


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    #7
    astronige
    Closed Accounts Posts: 39 ✭astronige


    looking at them after reading guide from rspb site given earlier in this thread they appear to be either herring gull or common gulls.....
    from pics on rspb site i cant really tell between the two easily so any ideas of the way to tellthem apart at all?


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    #8
    Judgement Day
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    astronige wrote: »
    looking at them after reading guide from rspb site given earlier in this thread they appear to be either herring gull or common gulls.....
    from pics on rspb site i cant really tell between the two easily so any ideas of the way to tellthem apart at all?

    Most likely Herring Gulls as, despite their name, Common Gulls are not that common. :)


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    #9
    ytpe2r5bxkn0c1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    LostCovey wrote: »
    Just to split hairs a little here.

    A lot of our gulls leave for the winter, going south & west to France & Spain, and most of our wintering gulls come from the UK, continental Europe and Scandinavia. So although we see a lot of the same species, they are not the same birds.

    It is likely that the wintering birds that you were seeing inland were foreign visitors.

    LostCovey

    Naturally, I was refering to species and not individual birds. This applies to Chaffinches, Robins etc. These we have all year round as well but those numbers always include migrants.


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