grp@unify.uucp (Greg Pasquariello) (11/29/89)
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Greg Pasquariello (916) 920-9092 grp@unify.UUCP
Unify Corporation ...!{csusac, pyramid}!unify!grpgrp@unify.uucp (Greg Pasquariello) (11/30/89)
(Hmmm... what happened to the first posting?)
I had a gull that stumped me yesterday on Folsom Lake, in California. It
was a first year bird, the size of a ring-bill (some were around for com-
parison), and had a slightly smaller, all dark bill. General body coloration
was very much the same over the entire bird, evoking images of Iceland Gull,
only a tad darker. The primaries on the folded wing were only _very slightly_
darker than the rest of the bird, and when in flight, they were pale underneath.
The eye appeared dark, although I was at some distance, and I did not get a
clear look at leg color.
My list of possibilities includes:
Mew Gull, although first year should have more of a saddle, and the primaries
should have been a little darker. Right size and bill shape though. This is
my first choice.
Thayer's, although primaries should have been darker on top, and bird should
have been larger.
Iceland, although this bird was too dark, too small, and way out of range.
Glaucous-winged: No way.
Some teenage mutant ninja gull hybrid: a possibility.
Any ideas you have would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
-Greg
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Greg Pasquariello (916) 920-9092 grp@unify.UUCP
Unify Corporation ...!{csusac, pyramid}!unify!grpjespah@milton.u.washington.edu (Kathleen Hunt) (02/25/91)
From: edm@vrdxhq.verdix.com (Ed Matthews) *It was here that I saw the mystery gull. It attracted my attention by *being whiter than all the Ring-Billed Gulls that it was with. It was the *same size as a Ring-Bill and of the same basic shape, especially the tail. *The tail feathers were all white. The bill was dark; I did not see the *eye. The wings were really different and reminded me of Tern's wings. *The leading half of the wing was gray, the trailing half white. There was *a line of black on the tips of the primaries running about two thirds of *the length of the wing. The bird was bigger than a Bonaparte's Gull, but *it is the gull whose wings seem most similar in my mind, but they were *equally white and gray and the black streak was much longer. I did not *see the underside of the bird. Ideas anyone? Immature Black-Legged Kittiwake? Tail sounds wrong for an immature, though, and the bill sounds wrong for an adult. Common Black-Headed Gull? Wings sound wrong, though. Kathleen jespah@milton.u.washington.edu -- If we increase the size of the penguin until it is the same height as the man and then compare the relative brain size, we now find that the penguin's brain is still smaller. But, and this is the point, it is larger than it *was*.
edm@vrdxhq.verdix.com (Ed Matthews) (03/01/91)
Kathleen Hunt writes in response to my post: *It was here that I saw the mystery gull. It attracted my attention by *being whiter than all the Ring-Billed Gulls that it was with. It was the *same size as a Ring-Bill and of the same basic shape, especially the tail. *The tail feathers were all white. The bill was dark; I did not see the *eye. The wings were really different and reminded me of Tern's wings. *The leading half of the wing was gray, the trailing half white. There was *a line of black on the tips of the primaries running about two thirds of *the length of the wing. The bird was bigger than a Bonaparte's Gull, but *it is the gull whose wings seem most similar in my mind, but they were *equally white and gray and the black streak was much longer. >Immature Black-Legged Kittiwake? Tail sounds wrong for an immature, though, >and the bill sounds wrong for an adult. >Common Black-Headed Gull? Wings sound wrong, though. The bird I saw was too big and had a tail that was absolutely wrong for a Kittiwake. There was a Common Black-Headed Gull in the group with the mystery gull for easy comparison: it wasn't that either. I'm stumped. I have no idea what it was, but have a sketch in my logs in case someone documents something similar in the future. I would venture a guess at a weird Bonaparte's adult plumage, but the size of the bird was wrong. -- Ed Matthews edm@verdix.com Verdix Corporation Headquarters (703) 378-7600 Chantilly, Virginia