Contributor
Date
Location
- Age
- Not specified
- Sex
- Not specified
Observation details
First winter bird slightly larger than Ring-billed Gulls it was near. All dark bill with pink legs and overall very pale plumage. Light gray tail band and wingtips, looked almost white in flight. Photos will be posted by Shawn Billerman. Additionally, this individual is separated from Thayer's and Glaucous-winged Gulls by the mottled tertial pattern (not solid as in Thayer's and Glaucous-winged first-cycle birds). Bill is relatively small (on the large end for Iceland, but still much smaller than any other likely species). The only mark that is generally inconsistent with Iceland Gull is the relatively flat head in this individual, but all other characters support Iceland Gull. Head shape may have been influenced by its behavior: it was actively feeding and moving about, and keeping other gulls away from its food. In the field, head did not appear nearly as flat-headed as it does in pictures. Showing approximate size compared to nearby California Gulls:
Technical information
- Model
- Canon EOS REBEL T3i
- ISO
- 200
- Focal length
- 400 mm
- Flash
- Flash did not fire, auto
- f-stop
- f/8.0
- Shutter speed
- 1/500 sec
- Dimensions
- 904 pixels x 666 pixels
- Original file size
- 164.7 KB