Skip wrote:

> Well I don't know if the photos in Grant are representative,
> since his are all European birds, but my quick experiment
> might suggest that our birds may in fact be somewhat paler
> than average. Another thing I noticed, which may be more
> significant, is that all the birds I photographed have pure
> white primary tips, while only one of the first winter birds
> in Grant does.

The 1st year Glaucous Gulls I have seen in Scotland, very rarely
(probably never) had pure white primary tips, a very pale buff would
be more accurate. Only 2nd year birds would have white, in
conjunction with an overall whiter appearance, as opposed to 1st
year's brown appearance.

Experience with the birds (roughly 2-3 per month on average, all
year round) was based on personal experience - no guides were
available, so some whiter birds may have been incorrectly classified
- eye colouration is entirely new to me.

Thank goodness I didn't have to deal with Glaucous-Wings.

Stuart MacKay