Herring Gull (argentatus & argenteus)

(last update: February 11, 2013)

Herring Gull argentatus KH89 January - September 2010, October 2011 & March 2015, the Netherlands & France.

Russian bird with on the left tarsus a white colour-ring KH89 and a metal ring Moskwa ES-14 783. It was born last summer along the coast of the White Sea in the Kandalaksha Nature Reserve (67.15N,32.30E), Murmansk District, Russia in a project of Vitaly Bianki. The exact data: ringed on July 15 2009 on Farvaternaya Island - Severnoe lesnichestvo, Kandalaksha Bay in the White Sea (67.05N,32.29E).

From this region, Kleinschmidt describes a large, very long-winged Larus argentatus major breeding from the SE Baltic towards the White Sea. It's a pale grey mantled and partly yellow-footed Herring Gull in adult plumage. The juvenile and 2cy plumage are not described. However, this bird strongly resembles the argentatus from Finnmark Scandinavia, entering the Netherlands by mid-winter.

Observations:
15.07.2009 - Kandalakshskiy Nature Reserve, Severnoe lesnichestvo, isl.Farvaternaya Russia, Murmansk O. (67.05 N 32.29 E).
17 & 29.01.2010 Netherlands, Noord-Holland, IJmuiden 52.28 N 4.35 E
14.02.2010 France, Pas-de-Calais, Boulogne-sur-Mer"harbour" 50.44 N 1.35 E
09.05.2010 Netherlands, Noord-Holland, IJmuiden, Noordpier 52.28 N 4.33 E
08.06.2010 Netherlands, Beach Petten 19 km 52.47 N 4.40 E
15.08.2010 Netherlands, Noord-Holland, Hondsbossche zeewering (on the dike) 52.44 N 4.38 E
05.09.2010 Netherlands, Noord-Holland, Zuidpier of IJmuiden 52.28 N 4.33 E
15,16,20 & 30.10.2011 Netherlands, Noord-Holland, IJmuiden Harbour 52.28 N 4.35 E
19.11.2011 Netherlands, Noord-Holland, IJmuiden (beach) 54.28 N 4.33 E
03.12.2011 Netherlands, Noord-Holland, IJmuiden harbour 52.28 N 4.35 E
03.02.2012 Netherlands, Zuid-Holland, North Sea coast, Hague 52.03 N 4.11 E
16.11.2012 Netherlands, Noord-Holland, IJmuiden harbour 52.27 N 4.33 E
05.12.2014 France, Pas-de-Calais, Boulogne-sur-Mer"beach" 50.44 N 1.35 E

below: KH89 2cy (argentatus), January 23 2010, IJmuiden, the Netherlands. Picture: Kees & José Verbeek.

below: KH89 2cy (argentatus), January 29 2010, IJmuiden, the Netherlands.

This is a strong powerful argentatus with only the upper scapulars replaced for 2nd gen feathers as 2cy January. The scapulars show wear in the white notched fringes but the coverts and tertials appear remarkable fresh considering it's already late January. Note the rather dark, clay-brown tone of the plumage, unlike the paler, washed-out brown of first winter Dutch argenteus.

Herring Gull KH89 2cy (argentatus), February 14 2010, Boulogne-sur-Mer, France. Picture: J-M Sauvage.

Herring Gull KH89 2cy (argentatus), May 09 2010, IJmuiden, Netherlands. Picture: J. Zorgdrager.

Herring Gull KH89 2cy (argentatus), September 05 2010, IJmuiden, Netherlands. Picture: R. Hoeben.

Herring Gull KH89 3cy (argentatus), October 16 2011, IJmuiden, Netherlands. Pictures: Maarten van Kleinwee.

Note thayeri pattern on P9.

Herring Gull KH89 3cy (argentatus), October 30 2011, IJmuiden, Netherlands. Pictures: Maarten van Kleinwee.

Note thayeri pattern on P9.

Herring Gull KH89 3cy (argentatus), October 31 2011, IJmuiden, Netherlands.

Note thayeri pattern on P9.

Herring Gull (argentatus) KH89 7cy, March 02 2015, IJmuiden, Netherlands.

Note thayeri pattern on P9 & P10. No black on P5. Still winter streaking on head. Speckled iris.