It was located whilst standing on the island at Redcar Tarn. An obvious first winter bird as it still had the remnants of juvenile plumage in its wings. It had black-ish legs. The bill was also dark, and blunt with parallel sides. Behind the eye was a black mask flecked with white feathering. The eye looked dark.

The primary feathers appeared to be mostly black on the closed wing. The tertials and the outer-most greater coverts had dark centres with pale fringes. There was a pale grey greater covert panel. The mantle was pale grey as with Black-headed and not darker grey as in Common Gull.

The bird itself was slightly bulkier than the nearby Black-headed Gulls being a fraction smaller than Common Gull. It did not have any white in the leading edge of the wing as a Black-headed Gull would have once it took to the air. Its wings had a broader appearance than Black-headed Gull with a rounder wing tip.

First noticed among the Black-headed & Common Gull flock sat on the water. Easily picked out from the crowd by it’s different facial expression given by the black wedge behind the eye and the broad blunt tipped bill.

The mantle was pale grey, similar to the nearby Black-headed Gulls and much lighter than Common Gull. The lesser and some median coverts were dark, as were the tertials. The primaries were all dark.

When the Med Gull flew it was noted to have no white in the forewing as a Black-headed Gull would have.