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

(last update: 10-11-2009)

Larus fuscus fuscus 3cy C3A9, July 09-12 2003, Tampere, Finland (61.33N 24.59E).

C3A9 was ringed in Pälkän, Finland (61.36N 24.28E); ringed as pullus on June 26 2001.
Recorded at Tampere:
2001-08-24, 
2003-07-05, 2003-07-06, 2003-07-09, 2003-07-11, 2003-07-12, 2003-07-13, 2003-07-20, 2003-07-27, 2003-08-09.
After August 09 2003, it wasn't seen again at Tampere dump despite many 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.

C3A9 was ringed as pullus at Palkan, 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 in the left wing. In both wings, P8 is not fully grown and moult was probably arrested while P8 still had to grow a few inches. The two outer primaries (P9-P10) are worn, paler brown, but P10 has a well-defined mirror. The other visible outer primaries, P5-P8, are much darker with small white tips, and are the next generation flight feathers.
The tail appears all white without black markings. Note the retained bleached wing-coverts, upper tertials, and dark markings on the bill, typical for 3cy birds. 
This bird was photographed in clouded weather conditions.

See also:

• C2A5, another 3cy fuscus ringed as pullus at Palkan, Finland on June 25 2001, present at Tampere in July 2003.
• C2A8, another 3cy fuscus present on Tampere dump in July 2003, probably ringed on the same location and same date.