On Gulls: Black-headed and Brown-Headed

Brown-headed Gull (1w)

Larus brunnicephalus

Don Hoi Lot, Samut Songkhram Province

29.12.11

Brown-headed Gull (1w)

Larus brunnicephalus

Bang Pu, Samut Prakhan Province

07.01.12

Gulls have been the highlight of 2012 so far for me. Quite unexpectedly so. It's also been very educational too. I think my knowledge of these fascinating pelagic birds has increased sevenfold in 2012. The Brown-headed Gull is the most common gull in Thailand followed by the smaller Black-headed. However, they are not that easy to separate and provide a good introduction to the complexities of gull identification.

Less than two weeks ago I posted the top picture of the gull sitting on water on BirdForum for help with identification. I thought I had a shot of a Black-headed Gull: it had the black ear spot and dark iris referred to in most of the field guides as this species' diagnostics. I must own to feeling unconvinced when told it was a Brown-headed "first winter"! I even posted a second picture to show the detail of the eye! My friend Tom Backlund told me there could be no doubt it was a Brown-headed. Crest-fallen, I was! What was I not seeing?!

Learning point ⌗1: get a shot of the bird in flight or with its wings extended. In the second picture the black primaries and secondaries dispel any doubts about this bird's identification: it is a first winter Brown-headed Gull. This is supported by the dull orange bare parts of the gull: the bill and the legs.

Black-headed Gull (2w - adult)

Larus ridibundus
นกนางนวลซอบชาว

Bang Pu, Samut Prakhan Province

07.01.12

Now apparently the Brown-headed Gull's bill is heavier/stouter than that of the Black-headed. I find this a hard distinction to make. Fortunately I managed the above flight shot of an adult Black-headed Gull. Note the blackish tips of the bird's primaries.  That is one of the key diagnostics. From Harrison's Seabirds : "....prominent ....blackish tips to outer 6 or 8 primaries". Please note this shot was taken with the camera hand-held minus the telescope. That is how close it is possible to get to the birds at Bang Pu. But I would find it impossible to separate this bird from the Brown-headed without being able to see the wings. Apparently it is a smaller bird too, but my eye is not yet good enough to discern a significant difference.

The above shots are a tentative comparison of first winter Brown-headed, left, and the adult Brown-head, right. The most obvious difference is the colour of the bare parts, the bill and legs. In the first winter they are dull orange and in the adult they are a bright red.

The above shots highlight the difference in bill colours between Adult, left, and First Winter, right; the difference in the iris tone is also clear with the first winter being darker. I am a little disappointed I didn't manage to get some close-up shots of Black-headed. Something for my next trip to Bang Pu.

Bang Pu is a really excellent place to view and photograph gulls. They come in huge numbers and they really do come in close and perch on bamboo stakes close to the pier. Moreover rarities show up most years: my recent visit was to twitch Mew Gull, a real rarity for Thailand and last year there was a Sooty Gull, a first record of this species for South-east Asia. Slender-billed Gulls are also seen here on a regular basis.

An additional attraction is the facilties: at the pier end there are a number of excellent restaurants famed for their sea-food. Bang Pu can get busy, however, as it is a popular spot and a very convenient distance from Bangkok: a bit like Largs and Glasgow, well, errrrr, not quite!

Yatsu-Higata, Chiba Prefecture

Common Teal

Anas crecca

10th March 2011

Yatsu-Higata is a great place to get close to ducks and records suggest that it is in general an excellent place for birdwatching and photography. Non-birders may like it too as it has a fantastic state of the art observation centre with a restaurant and tea room and comfortable facilities; Tokyo Bay shopping mall is short walk form the  station and there is also an amusement park nearby. In fact non-birders could spend the day at Tokyo Disney Resort which is a few stops before on the railway line. 

Eurasian Wigeon

Anas penelope

10th March 2011

Yatsu-Higata is a tidal mudflat completely surrounded by urban life. It really is an amazing place and at the right times it will be a great place for waders too; I believe our friend Spoon-billed Sandpiper has been recorded here. There is also a small freshwater pond next to the observation centre. It is remarkably easy to reach from central Tokyo; take the Japan Rail Keiyo Line to Minami-Funabashi station, turn right out of the exit barriers and there is a board showing the way.....pretty simple, turn right out of the station , cross the road at the pedestrian bridge about 300 meters along the road, turn right again, cross the road at the lights and enter the site on the left. No more than a 10 minute walk from the station. There is a good sealed footpath making it possible to walk around the entire site. The observation centre is a further 10 - 15 minutes on from this entrance.

Northern shoveller

Anas clypeata

10th March 2011

I decided to digiscope today as the ducks were so close. However it was freezing cold so first up I had to head to the mall and get a hat, some gloves and a neck baffle. Thereafter I had a lot of fun and I split the day up with a late lunch in the observation centre: a very tasty beef curry with rice.

Greater Scaup

Aythya marila

10th March 2011

There were vast numbers of duck with Eurasian Wigeon probably being in the majority and in addition to the birds shown here there were Coot, Little Grebe, Dusky Thrush, Brown-eared Bulbul, Grey Heron, Intermediate Egret, Little Egret, Common Sandpiper, Pale Thrush, Black-winged Stilt, Common Reed Bunting, Grey Plover, a solitary Bull-headed Shrike in front of the observation centre and a very substantial flock of what I took to be Dunlin flew in about 1700h.

Black-headed Gull

Larus ridibundus

10th March 2011

I had a really enjoyable day here. I walked around the site and there are viewing areas at regular intervals with cover and viewing slots at different heights. A bit of a birder's paradise really. I am also very pleased with the photographs. They are not perfect but they show further progress and are where I want to be. Some work needed on focus and stepping down. In fact today I was in such a heaven that there were times when the birds were too close! 

Common Sandpiper

Actitis hypoleucos

10th March 2011

So I have a new issue: am I birder who photographs or a photographer who birds?! I think I would say at this stage I am a birder who photographs but I think I will need to ensure I allocate myself times when I shoot. That means checking out some of the blinds in places like Kaeng Krachan and at such times to forget about the list. I did this today: I simply concentrated on the birds on offer, under my nose so to speak. This means I missed out on Saunders's Gull which can usually be seen here.

Northern Pintail

Anas acuta

10th March 2011

But I had a lovely day out and really enjoyed myself today. I must make sure I have more days out like this, shooting days. I have to say I am very pleased with my new rig and I reckon there is a bit of improvement to come too. Yoroshiku!