ML212085771

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Tags

Multiple species

Observation details

First-cycle bird. Initially spotted flying into the garbage pile. As it then flew, we watched it for 5 minutes as it ascended with 100+ other gulls, during which time all of us got great comparisons of the wing pattern (i.e., the dark inner primaries) between this bird and first-cycle Herring Gulls. Eventually it returned and gave us 15 minutes or more of excellent views, both standing and in flight. Intermediate in size between an average Herring Gull and an average Ring-billed Gull (both of which were present for direct comparison). More slender, both when standing and in flight, than a Herring Gull, with proportionately longer and narrower wings (as seen in flight). Compared to several Lesser Black-backed Gulls seen earlier in the day, the California had a less chunky body and a straighter, more slender bill. The head of the California Gull was not particularly rounded nor particularly blocky; the hindcrown was rounded but the forehead was fairly long and gently sloped. Bill straight and more or less parallel-sided before tapering to a point at the tip, lacking a noticeable bulge at the gonys, pale pinkish with a limited, well-defined, all-dark tip. Feet fleshy-gray. Eye all-dark. Pale, very whitish foreface, foreneck, and upper breast that contrasted with the dark brownish mottling on the rest of the head, neck, and underparts. Back and scapulars appeared to be all first-cycle (i.e., not juvenile) feathers, coarsely marked with dark and light splotches; the ground color of some of these feathers was a dingy, dusky brownish, while other feathers had a medium-dark gray ground color. Greater upper-secondary coverts mostly dark; inner 2-3 greater upper-secondary coverts had slightly more pale checkering (which was irregular in pattern) than the rest, which had only a few pale markings near the lower (posterior) edges. Overall, the greater upper-secondary coverts formed a dark bar on the wing that contrasted little with the dark secondaries and primaries in flight. Median/lesser/marginal coverts were moderately worn, with much more pale and dark brown mottling than was present on the mostly dark greater coverts. Nearly uniformly dark primaries, with inner primaries barely paler than the outer primaries (which appeared very dark brown or blackish at rest, with no pale markings at all) and the secondaries – similar to the wing pattern of a first-cycle Lesser Black-backed Gull we’d seen earlier in the day, and lacking the conspicuously pale inner primary “window” of first-cycle Herring Gulls present. Tail completely dark brown (not quite black, but very dark) except for a very narrow pale terminal band. Uppertail and undertail coverts pale with numerous dark transverse bars. The uppertail coverts and rump did not appear as pale and did not contrast as much with the tail and secondaries as was the case with the first-cycle Lesser Black-backed, both because the ground color of these areas did not appear as pure white on the California Gull as on the Lesser, and because the dark barring was much coarser and denser on the California than on the Lesser.

Technical information

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1472 pixels x 1104 pixels

Original file size

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