Gulls

A short walk out today along the harbour at Copenhagen produced a lot of gulls.. Mostly Black-headed and Herring Gulls but amongst the group gathered around the Little Mermaid was this 1st winter gull. I had my suspicions and, after posting the photos on BirdForum, the consensus seems to be that it is a 1st winter Caspian Gull. This is my first Caspian in Denmark and, given the lack of good gull roosts in the Copenhagen area (most seem to roost on the difficult to access Saltholm), it is a good bird to pick up. I also took the opportunity to photograph a few Black-headed Gulls and an inquisitive Hooded Crow in the fantastic winter sun.

Edit: the 1st winter gull can be identified as a Caspian due to: longish, spindly, bubblegum pink legs (compared with Herring); light underwing; dark, parallel-sided bill; "four-toned" colouring, consisting of greyish/brown mantle, brown tertials and coverts and blackish primaries contrasting with whitish head and underparts; and solid tail band with lightly marked uppertail coverts.

Photos: 1st winter Caspian Gull; Black-headed Gull; and Hooded Crow