Beautiful Birds (3): Herring Gull?

Juvenile Herring Gull
[I think]
on Skye

It occurred to me that we are all familiar with this fellow...
but are we?

I know a seagull when I see one
(and there are many in Swansea where I live).
I also know that there are many different gulls.

What I am just beginning to realise, however,
is that a juvenile passes through a number of phases
on its path to adulthood.

Do take a look at Jeff Poklen's amazing gallery
of the Herring Gull in its 1st to 3rd cycles.
You will also find photos of these birds
emerging as 'basic adults'.

I wonder if any reader can match my juvenile
with a particular photo in Jeff's gallery,
showing its stage of development.
Please let me know if you can!

I was amazed to find that the RSPB site
lists the Herring Gull in the RED Conservation Category.
You can read what this means here.

We sometimes take creatures for granted:
I suggest this may be particularly true in the case
of our friend, the noisy, scavenging Herring Gull.

• American Herring Gull at Chew near Bristol - with great photographs, and explanations of the 'mirror' etc. N.B. It seems from DNA sampling that this bird may not actually have been an American Herring Gull.
• GullDK - a blog about gulls in Denmark
• Mediterranean Gull Invasion: Part 1, Burry Port from Adam Tilt's blog, My Life Outside