nominate Lesser Black-backed Gull (L. f. fuscus)

(last update: 10-11-2009)

Larus fuscus fuscus 3cy C1XE, July 09-17 2003, Tampere, Finland (61.33N 24.59E).

C1XE was ringed in Kanala, Finland (61.40N 24.14E); ringed as pullus on June 28 2001 by Risto Juvaste.
Recorded at Tampere:
2001-07-28, 2001-08-24, 
2003-05-24, 2003-05-29, 2003-05-30, 2003-05-31, 2003-06-01, 2003-06-03, 2003-06-07, 2003-06-17, 2003-06-22, 2003-07-01, 2003-07-05, 2003-07-09, 2003-07-11, 2003-07-14, 2003-07-17, 2003-07-31, 2003-08-02.
After August 02 2003, it wasn't seen again at Tampere dump despite intense visits and may have moved further south from that date on.

Larus fuscus fuscus in 2cy often returns with completely replaced primaries and secondaries. In 3cy, fuscus more often shows a clear division between fresh inner primaries and older outer primaries, the inner primaries often showing neat white tips and the outer primaries often second generation-like with rounded tips and paler bleached brown. The arrested moult in the primaries is often reflected in the secondaries and (to a less extend) in the tail-feathers as well. The older tail-feathers (often R5 is older) still show a broad dark sub-terminal band.
3cy fuscus often have some black markings on the bill, which is otherwise much adult-like, with a clear red gonydeal spot. The colour of the naked parts are adult-like as well. 
The scapulars in 3cy are often completely adult-like, lacking internal patterns; plain blackish grey with a mahogany hue on the older feathers. Most wing-coverts and tertials are adult-like blackish grey as well, but often 3cy birds show some very bleached pale brown wing-coverts, normally in the greater covert bar and in the upper rows of the lesser coverts. These bleached wing-coverts accentuate the jumpy sequence in the last wing-covert moult cycles, as there is often no clear pattern in location of these bleached feathers. Head and body feathers normally are snow-white by July.

C1XE was ringed as pullus at Kanala, Finland on June 28 2001, now in 3cy. This 3cy fuscus has arrested primary moult prior to northbound migration: there is a clear division in the visible outer primaries between P8 and P9. The two outer primaries P9-P10 are worn, paler brown, but P10 has a well-defined, large mirror, probably 3rd generation. The other visible outer primaries, P5-P8, are much darker, glossy black with well-defined, relatively fresh white tips, and are probably 3rd generation flight feathers.
In general this individual looks much adult-like with hardly any black on the bill and the iris only slightly paler yellow.

See also C5XE, C0XC and C8XC, ringed on the same location, the same date, now 3cy fuscus present on Tampere dump in July 2003.