Contributor
Date
Location
- Age and sex
- Immature Unknown sex - X
Observation details
***MEGA (This is apparently the first documented record for Louisiana; eBird shows no validated records for the state, and the species is absent from the Louisiana state list) We spotted this bird while we were driving south on Venice Boat Harbor Dr. We were able to watch it at a distance of about 30 meters as it stood and flew in direct comparison with Herring Gulls. When it flew off from a small island along the road, it headed a short distance over toward the Venice Marina & Landfill. Because of the bird's very white aspect, we immediately considered a leucistic or very heavily bleached/ eroded individual of a common species such as Ring-billed Gull or Herring Gull, but this individual looked to be very typical for a first cycle Iceland Gull in late winter (especially one like this on the Gulf Coast that has presumably received more exposure to the sun than most Iceland Gulls) and we are satisfied with the identification (with the usual caveats about the historically vexed taxonomy of gulls in the Iceland/ Thayer's Gull complex). The pattern of feather bleaching and erosion is normal, with tracts of feathers that are hidden at rest showing more pigmentation than the exposed areas which were the whitest areas. Identification: Very white gull, obviously bleached with some feather erosion, especially noticeable at tips of outer primaries; smaller and slimmer than adjacent immature Herring Gulls; the slim bill lacked a strong gonydeal angle and was dull pink at the base with a blackish tip (the border between black and pink was blurry); rounded head; dark irides; pink legs; some pigment was evident in the tail, and showed a well-marbled effect and the lack of a solid dark band (such as would be shown by a Thayer's Gull); underwing coverts and lesser upperwing coverts showed light brown barring, and the axillaries showed thin brownish bars. TBJ Photos (more available at flickr.com/bonxie88):
Technical information
- Model
- Canon EOS 5D Mark III
- Lens
- EF400mm f/5.6L USM
- ISO
- 250
- Focal length
- 400 mm
- Flash
- Flash did not fire, auto
- f-stop
- f/6.3
- Shutter speed
- 1/2000 sec
- Dimensions
- 2990 pixels x 1834 pixels
- Original file size
- 2.29 MB