Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) covered with oil

This video taken on July 22, 2010 shows an adult Herring Gull with its underparts covered in oil. One can only speculate what nightmare such an individual could provoke if seen at some distance as a brief flyby on a sea watch. At least when the gull was found resting on an inland grass field I personally had to take an extra view through the telescope before the ID was finally clinched.

Caspian Gull (Larus cachinnans), 2cy, 17.7.2010, Hevring Strand

This first summer Caspian Gull has an all characteristic plumage for the age class. The primary moult is well advanced with p1-p7 renewed, p8 growing and p9-p10 unshed.

It has a good cachinnans jizz with a high push up breast, belly slightly dropped behind legs and long slim rear with the unmoulted p9 and p10 just adding to elongated impression. It has relative long legs with longer tibia compared to argentatus, the bill is relative long and without pronounced gonys angle, it has rather unmarked white underwings, it has distinctive dark spotted neck boa in contrast to the more whitish rather unmarked head and there is a well-defined broad black tail band with the inner tail half being unmarked white as seen in one of the videos of the preening bird.