ML29094271

Age and sex

Adult, Unknown sex - X

Media notes

This adult Franklin's Gull was photographed by Curtis A. Marantz on 17 April 2016 as it flew north along Salt Creek Beach, Salton Sea State Recreation Area, Riverside County, California. This bird was one of two Franklin's Gulls that were found at the site on this date.

Observation details

I spotted one bird as it flew by us from south to north and Guy noticed that there was a second bird behind it. I followed these birds as they flew north up the beach and eventually landed near the creek mouth with the Bonaparte’s Gulls. We later saw them on the ground, but only from a distance, before they vanished when the flock took flight. My best views of these birds were therefore obtained when they flew by us. These were relatively small gulls, but their wingtips seemed to be more rounded and not as finely tapered as did those of the Bonaparte’s Gulls that were flying by constantly. These birds may also have been a little larger in overall size, and their bills were short yet also stouter than those of the Bonaparte’s Gulls. Both birds appeared to be essentially identical, but there were one or two things that I saw only on one or the other. This description is therefore a composite of what I saw on both birds yet with brief comments on what I noted on one or the other. Quite conspicuous when these birds flew by was the sharp contrast between the black hood and the whitish neck and underparts. Both birds clearly had bold, white arcs above and below the eyes, but I was more sure that I saw a pink wash to the breast on the first bird. Both birds also had the back and most of the wing medium-gray, and thus a shade or two darker than the same regions on the Bonaparte’s Gulls, and both had a relatively limited amount of black on a wingtip that was bordered by white along both the leading and trailing edges, as well as internally, which resulted in the black in the wingtip being clearly demarcated from the gray of the rest of the wing. I am less sure if I noted in the field a white trailing-edge to the upperside of the wing, but such an edge is clearly evident in my photos. The underwing coverts and the undersides of the remiges were mostly white, but even the underwings had small wedges of black at their tips, and again, the black near the tip was framed by white. Both birds had white rumps and essentially white tails, though on the second bird I was pretty sure I could see some light-gray clouding centrally on about the distal half of the tail. I thought both birds had dark eyes, and I noted clearly that one bird had a deep red bill (though I am less sure about the other), but I now have no recollection of noting the color of the legs or feet, in large part because I saw these birds only at some distance when they were on the ground.

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Lens

EF400mm f/5.6L USM

ISO

320

Focal length

400 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire, auto

f-stop

f/8.0

Shutter speed

1/1250 sec

Dimensions

1419 pixels x 916 pixels

Original file size

284.5 KB