ML125544781

Age and sex

Adult, Unknown sex - X

Media notes

Pink feet!

Observation details

First reported to eBird three days ago (submitted today) by another observer. Initially loafing with Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls, rather distant. Dark, slate-gray mantle, a shade paler than adjacent Great Black-backed, and significantly darker than Herring. Visibly smaller than Great Black-backed, but large and bulky beside Herring Gulls. Large yellow bill with bright red gonys spot, and pink legs. Thick white crescent around tertials quite prominent even at great distance, as was very thick speckling on head and neck, by which it stood right out among Great Black-backed Gulls. Group stirred and took off, flying around hill, and landing again a little closer. In flight at distance, thick white trailing edge to secondaries obvious, and just as thick as on Great Black-backed Gulls flying alongside it. As it landed and settled closer, pale iris now visible. Bird lacked any trace of a proper dark smudge around eye, speckling was thick and rather uniform across head and neck, and spilled onto chest where it dissipated into larger, smudgy spots. Bright pink legs much more prominent at closer range. Little white spot at tip of scapulars sitting above tertial crescent. Folded wing projected beyond tail tip, and five prominent white tips were visible on jet black folded primaries. Bird flew again at closer range, flying directly over top of me at one point. Pattern to wing tips was very striking, but as bird was flying quickly directly at me and then dove into group of 200+ Herring Gulls, it was difficult to observe very precisely. When the bird banked and made a pass heading back to it's chill spot on the hill, a thick white tip was very obvious on p10, and adjacent primaries seemed darker toward tips. A few white spots were present on middle primaries, but proper 'string of pearls' was difficult to observe on upperside of wing in flight at the angles it was flying past in these conditions. As the bird landed or fluttered about on the ground in better lighting however, this pattern was much easier to observe on the underwing. Though muted, white tips to middle primaries create a lovely string. I have many heart-wrenchingly blurry photos of this. Several photos taken, unfortunately not of the greatest quality in poor lighting and high winds driving a wet, blowing snow. OBRC report to be submitted.

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS REBEL T3i

Lens

TAMRON 18-400mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC HLD B028

ISO

500

Focal length

400 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire, auto

f-stop

f/9.0

Shutter speed

1/500 sec

Dimensions

3698 pixels x 2733 pixels

Original file size

1.25 MB