watchers who are unfamiliar with the specialised literature, or who are 
interested in only true species that can be 'ticked', from collecting such 
data. This seems to be the case particularly with L armenicus. 
Western limit 
Bertault, Dubois and Fremont (1988) reported several hundred Arme- 
nian Gulls from the Diyarbakir area as the westernmost observations 
in Turkey; but a colony of 'Herring Gulls' with about 500 pairs was 
found in 1969 at Tuz Golu, Central Anatolia, some 600 km west of 
Diyarbakir (H. Lehmann et al in Vittery et al 1972). Beaman et al (1975) 
noted that the 'Plateau breeding population resembles L. argentatus 
armenicus' and Beaman (1978) repeats the view that inland breeding 
birds are probably L. a. armenicus. That they indeed are armenicus is 
shown by an excellent colour picture of a breeding adult by A. 
Limbrunner in Pforr and Limbrunner (1981; p. 292, labelled L. a. cach- 
innans). This photograph was taken on an island in Tuz Golu, on 25 
May 1974 (A. Limbrunner in litt.). M. Beaman (in litt.) confirms that all 
breeding 'Herring-type' Gulls he has seen since 1978 in interior Tur- 
key, including the Central Plateau, have definitely been armenicus. 
Northern limit 
Lake Sevan (1,900 m asl) is the main breeding site in Armenia. The 
average spring population is estimated at 800 individuals. Only one 
other colony is currently known in the Armenian SSR, at Lake Arpa in 
the extreme northwestern comer of the republic. Armenian Gulls also 
occur (apparently in the breeding season) along the rivers Arax, 
Rasdan and Achuryan. They regularly visit the fishponds in the Ararat 
plain, but do not breed there (Airumyan et al. 1987). Yellow-legged 
Herring Gulls L. cachinnans may, however, also reach Lake Sevan (on 
migration from the Caspian?): J. Wittenberg (in litt.) recorded about 30 
individuals together with some 30 Armenian Gulls on 22 July 1986. 
L cachinnans, which breeds in the Black and Caspian Seas, is therefore 
expected to occur on migration along the Kura river, between the 
Caucasus and the Armenian highland. East German visitors recorded 
'Herring Gulls' there in August (eg 40 near Tbilisi on 8 August 1975; 
Gnielka 1980), but not in May-June (von Knorre 1971, Schmidt 1986). 
I was surprised to find adult Armenian Gulls along the Kura river in 
spring 1986. On 23 May, one or two individuals were patrolling up and 
down the river below UpUsziche, near Gori, some 90 km west of Tbilisi; 
and about five were counted near Soganlug, a few kilometres southeast 
of Tbilisi, on 27 May. No other gulls were present. Two months later, 
J. Wittenberg (in htt.) did not see any gulls along the Kura river on an 
identical itinerary. Although these two places are situated only 40 km 
north and 70 km east of the northernmost lakes in the Georgian 
highlands, breeding along the Kura river cannot be dismissed entirely. 
14 
