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Arctic Skua, New Brighton, Merseyside, 15.09.10 (Rob Adderley)

Dark morph adult

Ring-billed Gull, Mirfields, West Yorkshire, 30.12.10 (Peter Welch)

Little Gull, Houghton Green Pool, Cheshire, 21.09.10 (Peter Welch)

First calendar year bird

Little Gull, Houghton Green Pool, Cheshire, 21.09.10 (Peter Welch)

First calendar year bird

Little Gull, Houghton Green Pool, Cheshire, 21.09.10 (Peter Welch)

First calendar year bird

Kittiwake, Houghton Green Pool, Cheshire, 30.08.10 (John Tymon)

Juvenile

Kittiwake, Houghton Green Pool, Cheshire, 30.08.10 (John Tymon)

Juvenile

Sabine's Gull, New Brighton, Merseyside, 15.09.10 (Rob Adderley)

Juvenile

Herring Gull, Richmond Bank, 02.12.10 (Ian McKerchar)

This adult argentatus displayed clearly yellow legs in the field at least!

Herring Gull, Richmond Bank, Cheshire, 01.02.11 (Ian McKerchar)

Completely leucistic adult

Herring Gull, Richmond Bank, Cheshire, 01.02.11 (Ian McKerchar)

Completely leucistic adult

Caspian Gull, Richmond Bank, Cheshire, 02.12.10 (Ian McKerchar)

Adult. Many more images and discussion of this individual on the Manchester Birding website's identification articles pages.

Caspian Gull, Richmond Bank, Cheshire, 02.12.10 (Ian McKerchar)

Adult. Many more images and discussion of this individual on the Manchester Birding website's identification articles pages.

Caspian Gull, Richmond Bank, Cheshire, 27.12.10 (Mike Baron)

Adult on the left

Caspian Gull, Richmond Bank, Cheshire, 27.12.10 (Mike Baron)

Adult just left of centre

Caspian Gull, Richmond Bank, Cheshire, 27.12.10 (Mike Baron)

Adult far left

Caspian Gull, Richmond Bank, Cheshire, 01.02.11 (Ian McKerchar)

Poor panic-strickened photos (due to the rapidly rising tide imminently forcing the gulls off the mudbank) of this cracking classic first winter. The photos simply don't do the bird justice!

Caspian Gull, Richmond Bank, Cheshire, 01.02.11 (Ian McKerchar)

Poor panic-strickened photos (due to the rapidly rising tide imminently forcing the gulls off the mudbank) of this cracking classic first winter. The photos simply don't do the bird justice!

Caspian Gull, Richmond Bank, Cheshire, 01.02.11 (Ian McKerchar)

Poor panic-strickened photos (due to the rapidly rising tide imminently forcing the gulls off the mudbank) of this cracking classic first winter. The photos simply don't do the bird justice!

Caspian Gull, Richmond Bank, Cheshire, 01.02.11 (Ian McKerchar)

Poor panic-strickened photos (due to the rapidly rising tide imminently forcing the gulls off the mudbank) of this cracking classic first winter. The photos simply don't do the bird justice!

Caspian Gull, Richmond Bank, Cheshire, 01.02.11 (Phil Rhodes)

Videograb of a first winter

Caspian Gull, Richmond Bank, Cheshire, 10.02.11 (Ian McKerchar)

4th winter (5th calender year bird) extensively black primary coverts and two black 'spots' in the tail. Same bird as also seen on the 8th Feb, picked up some soiling to it's left ear covert area since then.

Caspian Gull, Richmond Bank, Cheshire, 10.02.11 (Ian McKerchar)

4th winter (5th calender year bird) extensively black primary coverts and two black 'spots' in the tail. Same bird as also seen on the 8th Feb, picked up some soiling to it's left ear covert area since then.

Caspian Gull, Richmond Bank, Cheshire, 08.02.11 (Ian McKerchar)

4th winter (5th calender year bird) extensively black primary coverts and two black 'spots' in the tail. Same bird as also seen on the 10th Feb. Note the difference in head shape to the 8th!

Caspian Gull, Richmond Bank, Cheshire, 08.02.11 (Ian McKerchar)

4th winter (5th calender year bird), extensively black primary coverts and two black 'spots' in the tail. Same bird as also seen on the 10th Feb. Note the difference in head shape to the 8th!

Caspian Gull, Richmond Bank, Cheshire, 09.02.11 (Tom McKinney)

The lingering classic adult from early December 2010

Caspian Gull, Richmond Bank, Cheshire, 09.02.11 (Tom McKinney)

Another adult

Caspian Gull, Richmond Bank, Cheshire, 09.02.11 (Pete Berry)

Same adult as in Tom's image from the same day

Caspian Gull, Richmond Bank, Cheshire, 12.02.11 (Ian McKerchar)

A cracking adult (taken at long distance and with a terrible heat haze blah, blah...), almost certainly the bird not seen since the 2nd December 2010! Particularly high and full bosomed look here.

Caspian Gull, Richmond Bank, Cheshire, 12.02.11 (Ian McKerchar)

A cracking adult (taken at long distance and with a terrible heat haze blah, blah...), almost certainly the bird not seen since the 2nd December 2010!

Caspian Gull, Richmond Bank, Cheshire, 12.02.11 (Ian McKerchar)

A cracking adult (taken at long distance and with a terrible heat haze blah, blah...), almost certainly the bird not seen since the 2nd December 2010! Certainly has that "wow" factor!

Caspian Gull, Richmond Bank, Cheshire, 12.02.11 (Ian McKerchar)

A cracking adult (taken at long distance and with a terrible heat haze blah, blah...), almost certainly the bird not seen since the 2nd December 2010! Lovely small head and long slim bill, classic.

Caspian Gull, Richmond Bank, Cheshire, 12.02.11 (Rob Adderley)

Adult near top right with a juvenile Iceland Gull bottom middle!

Caspian Gull, Richmond Bank, Cheshire, 12.02.11 (Rob Adderley)

Just showing the distinctive and classic underside to the outer primary p10.

Caspian Gull, Richmond Bank, Cheshire, 12.02.11 (Rob Adderley)

Yellow-legged Gull, Loch Ryan, Dumfries and Galloway, 21.06.10 (Pete Berry)

Third-summer (4th calender year) on the far left with an argenteus Herring Gull middle and graellsii Lesser Black-backed Gull far right.

Yellow-legged Gull, Loch Ryan, Dumfries and Galloway, 21.06.10 (Pete Berry)

Third-summer (4th calender year) bird.

Yellow-legged Gull, Glasson Dock, Lancashire, 05.09.10 (Mike Baron)

Yellow-legged Gull, Seaforth NR, 14.11.10 (Pete Kinsella)

Adult Yellow-legged Gull top with adults of argenteus Herrng Gull middle and graellsii Lesser Black-backed Gull bottom for comparisson.

Yellow-legged Gull, Moore, Cheshire, 25.11.10 (Ian McKerchar)

Yellow-legged Gull, Richmond Bank, Cheshire, 02.12.10 (Ian McKerchar)

Assessing the leg colour of gulls is often a more difficult task than you might think but this individuals really did appear barely yellowish! The primary pattern was however conclusive.

Yellow-legged Gull, Richmond Bank, Cheshire, 02.12.10 (Ian McKerchar)

Same individual as the precceding one. Assessing the leg colour of gulls is often a more difficult task than you might think but this individuals really did appear barely yellowish! The primary pattern was however conclusive.

Yellow-legged Gull, Richmond Bank, Cheshire, 02.12.10 (Ian McKerchar)

Once again, whilst it's primary pattern was conclusive, this rather petite individual's head streaking is less than typical.

Yellow-legged Gull, Richmond Bank, Cheshire, 28.12.10 (Ian McKerchar)

Adult foreground, with adult Lesser Black-backed Gull behind.

Yellow-legged Gull, Richmond Bank, Cheshire, 28.12.10 (Ian McKerchar)

Streaky headed adult showing it's characteristic underside of p10

Yellow-legged Gull, Richmond Bank, Cheshire, 28.12.10 (Ian McKerchar)

Adult on the left of middle with adult Lesser Black-backed Gull to the immediate right of it and adult argenteus Herring Gulls to the extreme left and right of the photo.

Yellow-legged Gull, Richmond Bank, Cheshire, 06.01.11 (Ian McKerchar)

Adult

Yellow-legged Gull, Richmond Bank, Cheshire, 06.01.11 (Ian McKerchar)

First winter bird, typically nicely advanced in moult.

Yellow-legged Gull, Richmond Bank, Cheshire, 06.01.11 (Ian McKerchar)

The same individual on the same day.

Yellow-legged Gull, Richmond Bank, Cheshire, 14.01.11 (Ian McKerchar)

Adult

Yellow-legged Gull, Richmond Bank, Cheshire, 14.01.11 (Ian McKerchar)

Nice text book first winter bird.

Yellow-legged Gull, Richmond Bank, Cheshire, 14.01.11 (Ian McKerchar)

Nice text book first winter bird. Same individual on the same day.