Caspian & Yellow-legged Gulls

Caspian Gull 1stWinter, Coronation Corner, Axmouth 14/11/15 ( Copyright T D Wright )

Yellow-legged Gull? Axmouth 14/11/15 ( Copyright T D Wright )

Well it turned into an extraordinary Saturday afternoon, didn't it? I got a text from Steve Waite that this 1stWinter Casp was right by CorrieCorner so changed my destination to there. While I drove down, another message told me a 2ndWinter was up by Tower Hide! We watched that from CorCor but I now wish I'd gone for the Tower having seen Ian's pics from there. Still, it was great to get good views of the nearer 1stW and of possibly 2 adult YL Gulls. Perhaps I'm talking rot but the above photographed YL looks a bit like a Caspish hybrid to me. It's got yellow legs and a dark enough mantle 'n' scaps, but its head 'n' bill just aren't beastly enough. Having seen lots of YL Gulls in Portugal recently, and many in my previous visits to Greece, I'd say that it's unusual to get one without a chunky head 'n' neck and a very robust bill. Plus, the stance of this bird is not too horizontal, is it? Almost like the upright stance of a Caspian. Maybe I should've spent more time watching it but there were too many birds to look at, what with GC Grebe, Goosander and a Cormorant being followed by a Little Egret as it hunted ( more about that next time!). Good going Steve, you got us all out birding on a terrible wet & windy day...