This presentation was built in order to try and break some barriers in Israel large Gulls ID
the presentation was first built in 2.9.09 and then ammended several times (last 25.1.11)
Special thanks to Ehud Dovrat who infected me and many others in this amazing Gulls virus
3. Heuglin’s Gull - Larus heuglini winter plumage, Ashdod 15/1/08 Usually large and bulky, streaked hindneck and nape in winter
4. Heuglin’s Gull - Larus heuglini , spring plumage, Ashdod 15/1/08 Compare with previous slide: same date, 2 different plumages / moult stages
5. Heuglin’s Gull - Larus heuglini, winter plumage, Ashdod 15/1/08 Much larger gull than Baltic Gull
6. Heuglin’s Gull - Larus heuglini , Ashdod 30/1/10 Some individuals may show faint stripes on hindneck also in January Long tarsus Dark mantle and wing coverts
7. Heuglin’s Gull - Larus heuglini , Ashdod 6/1/10 Large mirror on P10, small mirror on P9 Faint fuscus - like secondary pattern, medium-dark secondaries
8. Heuglin’s Gull - Larus heuglini , Eilat 1/3/08 Black P10-P4 Large mirror on P10, small mirror on P9 Clear contrast between black wingtip and rest of upperparts (no contrast in fuscus ) Large grey / White crescents on P7 – P5
9. Heuglin’s Gull - Larus heuglini , very small female, Ashdod (Yavne 4) 19/9/09 (in the back - Baltic Gull) Extremely small females almost same size as female fuscus !
17. Baltic Gull – Larus fuscus fuscus , Ashdod 9/1/08 Easily identified in flight - all underwing remiges black
18. Baltic Gull – Larus fuscus fuscus 1 st winter, (ringed as pullus on 27.7.08) Ashdod 27/2/09 Very dark body, wings and mantle
19. Baltic Gull – Larus fuscus fuscus 1st winter Ashdod 2/10/09 Very dark head, body, wings and mantle
20. Baltic Gull – Larus fuscus fuscus 1st winter, Ashdod 24/9/09 Very dark body, underwing coverts and primaries
21. Comparison between 1 st winter Baltic Gull and 1 st summer Yellow-legged Gull Paler brown bird Dark brown bird Mantle and wing coverts with dark centers and thin white margins Relatively short legs Relatively long and thick legs Delicate head and bill Massive head and bill Baltic Gull 1 st winter Ashdod 11/12/09 Yellow-legged Gull juvenile, Tel Aviv University Zoological Garden 18/6/10 Both can be seen together on Israeli coasts during late August to mid September Mantle and wing coverts with smaller Dark centers and broader white margins
22. Baltic Gull – Larus fuscus fuscus , advanced 1 st winter, Ashdod 27/2/09 Note active post-juvenile moult. All 2nd generation feathers very neat, recently replaced, vs. steppe - taxa which have the post-juv moult much earlier in the year (active moult in Aug-Sept) 2 nd generation feathers
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25. Lesser Black-backed Gull ssp. (possibly inermedius ) Ashdod 30/10/09 Dark grey mantle, Not coal black like fuscus
26. Lesser Black-backed Gull - Larus fuscus ssp Ashdod, 27/2/10 P10 is little short (same length as P9) Therefore it may well be Larus fuscus fuscus and not intermedius
27. Lesser Black Backed Gull – Larus fuscus ssp , Ashdod 9/1/08. Ringed in Nordfugløy, Karlsøy, Troms, Norway, in a mixed colony of L.f.intermedius and L.f.fuscus
46. Ehud Dovrat, March 2009 Ehud is the pioneer of gulls color rings tracking and of gull identification in Israel Gull-watching in Israel
47. Major gull watching sites in Israel – where and when Acre area and northern Med. coast cachinnans December – March, up to 6000 armenicus October – March michahellis several pairs breeding on islands off Rosh Hanikra April – August Ma’agan Michael: sea shore and fishponds armenicus present year round, many hundreds in spring, many Thousands in winter ichthyaetus December – Early March, Up to 100 michahellis 2-4 pairs breeding on Pigeon Island April – August Tel Aviv metropolin Tel Aviv univ. and Ramat Gan Safari michahellis 7-10 pairs breeding, April – July armenicus October - March Ashdod - Yavne 4 ponds, seashore and rubbish dump – the prime gull watching site in Israel fuscus September – mid April, up to 1000 heuglini October – mid March, up to 300 cachinnans December – mid March, up to 500 barabensis November – mid march, up to 200 armenicus October – March mainly 1 st - 2 nd winter birds Lake Kinneret and Bet She’an Valley armenicus October – March (thousands) ichthyaetus December – early March, up to 1500 Eilat – north beach, KM 19, KM 20 fuscus strong migration in spring, mid March – late May heuglini mid March – late May Harod Valley armenicus October – March (many hundreds) ichthyaetus December – early March, hundreds
48. Caspian gulls – Larus cachinnans flock in an afternoon pre-roost gathering, part of a 5000 birds flock , Acre Valley 22/1/10
49. Pallas's Gulls - Larus ichthyaetus, Israel highest record number (1300+) Sde Eliyahu, Bet She’an Valley 21/2/08
52. Reading color rings in Israel Most rings in Israel are read nowadays in Ashdod sea shore and Ponds 31°51‘09"N 34°42‘26"E Ben Zakai reservoir, alternative resting point Yavne 4 ponds Yavne 3 ponds
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56. Gulls color ringing in Israel Armenian Gull – Larus armenicus ringed at Afek NPA Hospital 8/1/2010 Since 2008 red color rings beginning with U are being used in Israel Some birds were found poisoned / exhausted, rehabilitated at NPA Wildlife Hospital and released: fuscus , armenicus , cachinnans Other gulls were trapped at Ashdod: fuscus , armenicus , cachinnans michahellis pullus ringed since May 2010 in Tel Aviv University Zoological Garden