ML29799271
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age and sex
- Immature Unknown sex - X
Media notes
This second-year Franklin's Gull was photographed by Curtis A. Marantz on on 3 June 2016 at Piute Ponds, Edwards Air Force Base, Los Angeles County, California. I am not sure if this bird had been known to be present at this site prior to our visit, but I think it was Tom Benson who initially spotted it this afternoon.
Observation details
I am not sure if it was Tom or Amy who first spotted this bird, and in fact, I'm not even sure if this was a new bird or a an individual that was continuing at the ponds. What I can say is that I initially saw this bird as it was swimming out in the middle of the pond, and that we later saw it as it flew overhead shortly before we left the site. Unfortunately, both times that I saw this bird was rather strongly backlit, so even though I was able to get reasonably good views of it, I was unable to get more than mediocre photos. I studied this bird briefly and took a few photos, but I did not examine it in great detail. Given that I concentrated on getting a few photos when this bird flew by, by far my best views of this bird were when it was on the water. This was a relatively small gull that nevertheless appeared to be somewhat larger, stockier, and with a seemingly larger head and bill than those which characterized the Bonaparte's Gulls. I thought the bill was relatively short and stouter than that of a Bonaparte's Gull, yet it was clearly shorter, slimmer, and straighter than that of a Laughing Gull. The forehead was sloping and the crown was smoothly rounded on a head that appeared unremarkable in size for a gull, yet it was not as small or strongly rounded as that of a Bonaparte's Gull. The neck was relatively stout, yet it was longer than those of the Arctic Terns, and the body was somewhat plumper. This bird sat relatively high on the water, but because I never saw it on the ground I was unable to determine its posture. The wings appeared to be at least relatively long, and they tapered to tips that were pointed, yet not as finely so as those of the smaller gulls. I never did see clearly the legs, feet, or tail of this bird, even though I most actually saw the tail when it was in flight. This was a conspicuously hooded gull even though the forehead and the lower part of the face were extensively white. I nevertheless thought the black of the crown, nape, and face were sharply demarcated from the white of the neck and breast. There was enough black in the region of the eyes to demarcate relatively obvious crescents both above and below the eye that were broken more broadly in the front than in the back. The back and wings were medium-gray, and as such, they contrasted sharply with the black of the wingtips. I did notice at least some suggestion of a white tertial-crescent, but I cannot now recall clearly if I noted white tips to the various primaries. I am also relatively certain that the visible portion of the flanks along the waterline on the swimming bird were white. At least in the somewhat backlit conditions under which I made my observations, the bill and eyes appeared to be dark, but I was unable to discern any color in either. When I saw this bird in flight, I noted little more than it appeared to be a small gull with more rounded wingtips that are typical of a Bonaparte's Gull, and that it had at least a partially dark hood was some white in the forehead and face, and obvious eye-crescents. I essentially failed altogether to notice the pattern on either the wings or the tail.
Technical information
- Model
- Canon EOS 7D Mark II
- Lens
- EF400mm f/5.6L USM
- ISO
- 500
- Focal length
- 400 mm
- Flash
- Flash did not fire, auto
- f-stop
- f/8.0
- Shutter speed
- 1/2000 sec
- Dimensions
- 1240 pixels x 837 pixels
- Original file size
- 281.61 KB