Just for reference: images of the variation in the pattern of primary P4 and P5 of female Dutch Herring Gull Green YDBM, which we ringed as an adult in 2020 in the IJmuiden Forteiland colony, the Netherlands.
The changes over the years are small, but interesting:
- Black on P4 in 2021-2024 but not in 2020.
- A full black band on P5 in 2020-2023 but a broken band in 2024.
When following discussions within the gull community, I sense that European Herring Gulls with a full black band on P5 are considered to be rare.
YDBM (as does YBUF) shows that it depends when a particular individual is scored; you may have to check again the next season or you were already too late to see it…
Click the image for a larger view.
Gulls to the Horizon 