Hello Dominic. Long time no see. Has it been settled now or what? Cheers JanJ

Hi Jan Good to hear from you - only recently signed up to Netfugl and still learning how the site works! My impression is that the majority, perhaps the great majority, of birders in Britain are now comfortable with the ID of this bird as a Slaty-backed Gull. This was especially the case aftr its reappearance later in the winter at Pitsea tip, when a new series of closer photos - plus shots of skins showing variation in mantle tone in 'Birding World' - seemed to settle the main bone of contention. Several Rarities Committee members have also seen the bird and appear to support it, but of course it remains to be seen whether it will be accepted by both the Rarities Committee and the British Ornithologists' Union's Records Committee as a British first. Naturally, I hope it will be, but either way the fact that the bird appears to show no problematic feature for Slaty-backed Gull, and nothing clearly indicative of a hybrid origin, should be good enough. Best wishes Dominic

Thanks Dominic. Good discussions on Surfbirds forum and elsewhere and several good pic (two of them here on Netfugl, your own and Steve Arlow´s had me convinced 99,9 % lacking 1% to be on the safe side, if now that could be considered as being on a safe side. Cheers JanJ