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

(last update: 21-12-2009)

Larus fuscus fuscus 3cy J214, June 20 2007, Horsvær, Nordland (65.19.09 N - 11.38.02 E), Norway. Picture: Morten Helberg.

J214, ringed as pullus in 2005, now returning in northern Norway. Sex not determined. Especially male birds may already turn up in the colony in their 3cy. Harry Vercruijsse (1999), who did research in the Netherlands on Herring Gulls in the dunes, found the breeding attempts by such young birds not really successful in their first year back in the colony. Birds in 3cy may occupy a territory, but real breeding attempts often start the next year. Still, it may be a good strategy to return at such early age, to have advantage over other males regarding best breeding locations and feeding grounds. Similar results were found by Chabrzyk & Coulson (1976) on the Isle of May, SE Scotland.

Note small white tips on at least P4-P8. Below, you also see a map of Europe, with the ring readings for J214. Despite being born in a pure fuscus colony, this bird followed the western migration route along the North Sea coast, and probably further south along the Atlantic coast of France and Portugal.
More information about migration strategies in Norwegian fuscus and the ringing programme in the three northern counties of Norway: Nordland, Troms and Finnmark, can be found here: The summary for juveniles can be found in the fuscus 1cy October section, the summary for adults can be found in the fuscus adult October section.
Morten Helberg, Geir Systad, Ingve Birkeland, Nils Lorentzen & Jan Bustnes published an article about this research in Ardea 97, 2009, titled: Migration patterns of adult and juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gulls Larus fuscus from northern Norway. The complete PDF can be found HERE.

HJP Vercruijsse, Zilvermeeuwen uit de duinen van Schouwen, 1999. Publication ibn dlo, Tilburg, ISBN 9090131671.
G Chabrzyk & JC Coulson, Survival and recruitment in the Herring Gull Larus argentatus, 1976. J of An Eco 45: 187-203.