Caspian Gull

Yellow ring with a black four alpha-numeric code, starting letter 'H'.

note 1 : some rings of these codes are used in Schleswig Holstein, Germany for other great Gull species like Herring Gulls.

note 2 : rings are to be read from bottom to top, most rings have a “checkpoint”. We even used rings with 5 characters like HC234, HCE56.

note 3: some birds are ringed with red rings white inscription with combinations like H234, H4A4 etc.

note 4 :

Yellow ring with a black five alpha-numeric code, starting letter 'H'.

note 1 : examples are HX234, HV456, HE123, but even 2014 : HEC33, HE2VV, HE44X

note 2 : rings are to be read from bottom to top, most rings have a “checkpoint”.

note 3 : birds are ringed at Schleswig- Holstein.

note 4 : some rings are used at Lesser-Back-Blacked Gulls, see this species. 

note 5 : Codes with HC (like HC234, HCC25) are used 2013 and 2014 at Minsk / Belarus and Ukraine. Handling of sight-records is same mailadress !

note 6 :

Dark-blue ring with a white four alpha-numeric code starting letter 'E' followed by number/number/number or letter/number/number.

note 1 : letter "E"-number-number-number since 2007, E-letter-number-number since 2025.

note 2 : 

Red ring with a white four alpha-numeric code (first letter 'H') (on one leg) and metal ring (on other leg).

note 1 : rings are to be read from bottom to top, most rings have a “checkpoint”.

note 2 : birds are ringed at Schleswig- Holstein and Hamburg.

note 3 : examples are : H99X, H123, HA67, HX43, H789, H23A, H2C3, H7X6, HCCR, HNMA, ...

Yellow ring with a black 4 alpha-numeric with these used codes : 

* number / letter "L" / number / number.
* number / letter "L" / number / letter.
* number / letter "L" / letter / number.
* number / letter "L" / letter / letter.

OR

* letter "L" / number / number / number.
* letter "L" / number / number / letter.
* letter "L" / number / letter / number.
* letter "L" / letter / number / number.
* letter "L" / number / letter / letter.
* letter "L" / letter / letter / number.
* letter "L" / letter / number / letter.

note 1 : rings were used on chicks and adults both Caspian Gulls and Herring as well as on their hybrids.

note 2 : letter "B" is not used as last letter. 

note 3 : 

White ring with a black four alpha-numeric code :
3 numbers followed by a colon (:) and ending letter "U") (on right tarsus) and metal ring (on left tarsus).

note 1 : used codes are 001:U - 999:U

note 2 : the ring 001:U incorrectly on the left tarsus !

note 3 : species are Larus cachinnans and Larus michahellis.

note 4 : birds are also ringing in mixed colonies. Chicks species identification is often impossible, so please digital photos are appreciated.

note 5 :

Orange ring with a black 4 alpha-numeric code (on left tarsus).

note 1 : used codes is :
letter, letter, number, letter "T"
OR
letter, number, letter, letter "T"
and metal ring (on right tarsus) with as scheme site identifier is T (for Thames) (as last letter).

note 2 :
 

Red ring with a white four alpha-numeric code, starting letter 'U' (on right leg) and metal ring.

note 1 : starting letter 'U', followed by a number and two letters.

note 2 :
 

White ring with a black four alpha-numeric code, starting letter 'Y' followed by ' : ' and three numbers.

note 1 : used codes are Y:001 - Y:999.

Red ring with a white 4 alpha-numeric code (letter 'P' into the code).

Please report your sightings using the new POLRING platform, where you are getting an immediate access to the life histories. Please visit ring.stornit.gda.pl and register to create an account. After your account is created, you may add records of birds you resighted (by using option 'New record'). There are many fields to fill in, that define your records precisely, but in  most cases you just select one option from the predefined list. This will take another piece of your time (5 minutes or so), but the thing is simple, and  the recovery will be processed really much sooner than when you send it by e-mail (as previously). You may upload photographs accompanying the record of course. When you use the platform, it is a matter of hours (up to 2 days) to have an access to the full life-history, assuming that ringing data are in the system (they are not only if a bird was ringed very recently, the system then asks the ringer to provide data as soon as possible. This is anyway sooner than email). If you experience any problems using the system, write to: ptaki@miiz.waw.pl

note 1 : gulls are ringed since 2012 in central and southern Poland as either breeding adults or chicks.

note 2 : species are L. argentatus (mainly central Poland), L. cachinnans, L. michahellis (mainly southern Poland) and hybrids between these three (everywhere). One L. fuscus and two hybrids L. fuscus x L. argentatus have also been ringed.

note 3 : there are quite many hybrids, not always possible to identify in the field, so please take a digiphoto if possible.