Photo 4: adult LBBG, June 16 2001, Missouriweg Maasvlakte, the Netherlands.

Note the remarkable fresh primaries in this presumed female. By June, these primaries, which are half a year of age by now, show wear at the tips and abrasion along the fringes, especially on the outer primaries. The tremendous differences between very worn primary tips and LBBGs like this one, showing extremely fresh primary tips is hard to explain. Probably, much has to deal with weather conditions on wintering grounds: Inland locations on northern latitudes seem to conserve primary tips much better than hot sun and salty ocean-winds.