kumlieni_5CY_38A7113
Iceland Gull 4th cycle (5CY), February 03 2020, Julianadorp, the Netherlands.
5CY bird with brown immature pattern on the wing. Returning bird for the 4th winter.
Over the last years, bird was labeled 'ordinary Iceland Gull', but this winter it has returned with faint subterminal markings, most obvious on P9 but also subterminal markings on P10, P8 & P7. On P9 suggesting some kind of 'ghost
Pictures winter 2016-2017 (1st winter):
waarneming.nl/waarneming/view/135194269
waarneming.nl/waarneming/view/135029883
waarneming.nl/waarneming/view/135584352
winter 2017-2018 (2nd winter):
waarneming.nl/waarneming/view/148181601 already with obvious pale iris
waarneming.nl/waarneming/view/148166000
waarneming.nl/waarneming/view/147949556
waarneming.nl/waarneming/view/147769764
winter 2018-2019 (3rd winter):
waarneming.nl/waarneming/view/169413907 april
winter 2019-2020 (4th winter):
waarneming.nl/waarneming/view/184883449
waarneming.nl/foto/view/24730122
waarneming.nl/foto/view/24691913
waarneming.nl/waarneming/view/184927923
waarneming.nl/waarneming/view/184943837
waarneming.nl/waarneming/view/184882193
No certainty whether the pattern will still be visible next year when it will be fully adult, or if these markings will disappear completely leaving all-white primary tips. Already it has a very pale staring eye from the 2nd winter (Febr 2018) onwards. Next year this bird may prove to be kumlieni (depends on the definition of kumlieni of course): if the faded brown pattern turns into "some shade of grey" (not necessarily charcoal black, any shade of grey will do) along the outerweb of P9 and P8, plus some sub-terminal markings returning on the outer primaries, that should be 'beyond the limits for glaucoides' - and from a reverse point of view, in Canada, where glaucoides is a rarity, birds with pigmented primaries are rejected as glaucoides, and automatically (and safely) placed within the kumlieni range. From a European view, the staring yellow iris and pale silvery grey upperparts have a better match in glaucoides than they have in kumlieni. Also, the plumage in previous years didn't hint to anything different than glaucoides.
In Iceland, adult Iceland Gulls with the slightest primary pigmentation along the shaft and/or subterminal patterns are considered kumlieni, according to Stefán Ragnarsson, who adopts the simplest approach. "If I would call then glaucoides, then the line between kumlieni and glaucoides becomes even blurrier".
Let's wait another year...
kumlieni_5CY_38A7113
Iceland Gull 4th cycle (5CY), February 03 2020, Julianadorp, the Netherlands.
5CY bird with brown immature pattern on the wing. Returning bird for the 4th winter.
Over the last years, bird was labeled 'ordinary Iceland Gull', but this winter it has returned with faint subterminal markings, most obvious on P9 but also subterminal markings on P10, P8 & P7. On P9 suggesting some kind of 'ghost
Pictures winter 2016-2017 (1st winter):
waarneming.nl/waarneming/view/135194269
waarneming.nl/waarneming/view/135029883
waarneming.nl/waarneming/view/135584352
winter 2017-2018 (2nd winter):
waarneming.nl/waarneming/view/148181601 already with obvious pale iris
waarneming.nl/waarneming/view/148166000
waarneming.nl/waarneming/view/147949556
waarneming.nl/waarneming/view/147769764
winter 2018-2019 (3rd winter):
waarneming.nl/waarneming/view/169413907 april
winter 2019-2020 (4th winter):
waarneming.nl/waarneming/view/184883449
waarneming.nl/foto/view/24730122
waarneming.nl/foto/view/24691913
waarneming.nl/waarneming/view/184927923
waarneming.nl/waarneming/view/184943837
waarneming.nl/waarneming/view/184882193
No certainty whether the pattern will still be visible next year when it will be fully adult, or if these markings will disappear completely leaving all-white primary tips. Already it has a very pale staring eye from the 2nd winter (Febr 2018) onwards. Next year this bird may prove to be kumlieni (depends on the definition of kumlieni of course): if the faded brown pattern turns into "some shade of grey" (not necessarily charcoal black, any shade of grey will do) along the outerweb of P9 and P8, plus some sub-terminal markings returning on the outer primaries, that should be 'beyond the limits for glaucoides' - and from a reverse point of view, in Canada, where glaucoides is a rarity, birds with pigmented primaries are rejected as glaucoides, and automatically (and safely) placed within the kumlieni range. From a European view, the staring yellow iris and pale silvery grey upperparts have a better match in glaucoides than they have in kumlieni. Also, the plumage in previous years didn't hint to anything different than glaucoides.
In Iceland, adult Iceland Gulls with the slightest primary pigmentation along the shaft and/or subterminal patterns are considered kumlieni, according to Stefán Ragnarsson, who adopts the simplest approach. "If I would call then glaucoides, then the line between kumlieni and glaucoides becomes even blurrier".
Let's wait another year...