 |
The bill has a slight but noticeable gonydal expansion,
and is rather adult-like for a B2 bird, being bluish-gray basally,
with a yellowish tip and smudgy blackish subterminal band; also
the breast is almost unmarked (again more like adult Mew - or
B2 for other forms?): |
note the brownish
tinge to many of the upper coverts; the striking pattern in the
primary coverts; black tipping extending from P10 to P3; the gray
tongue on the inner web of P8 has a tiny white "separator";
there is a small indentation on the trailing edge of P8:
- note the head
markings are blotches, compared to the streaks on RBGU, and the
blotching on the lower hindneck coalesces into an almost-solid
shawl; the strong tertial and scapular crescents: 
when first seen it was a bit timid
- now it is very agressive and dominates any RBGU that comes close;
note the rather blocky head shape. Note the brown edging to many
of the outer under primary coverts and (in threat display above)
a line of brown-edged under median secondary coverts and scattered
marks in the lower axillaries:
in this flight shot the broken
tail band is evident (very rare in L. c. canus but frequent
in L. c. kamtschatschensis); also there appears to be a
indentation below the tip of the inner web of P8 (level with mirrors
on P10, P9) - see spread upperwing above.
