ML304778501

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

Adult. I was counting SAND through binoculars and this bird came into view as I panned. Dark eye was very obvious so I knew immediately it was Mew Gull. Small thin bill with some slight dark markings but no ring, indicating non-breeding. Yellow legs. A bit smaller than RBGU. Darker head markings smudgy, not streaked like RBGU. Got one iffy iPhone photo before it flew a couple hundred feet off shore. In flight larger white spots than RBGU obvious. On the water more confirming views of eye, bill and head markings. Took about 15 minutes to get my scope and refind the bird now back on the shoreline. Got three digiscope shots, two of which I believe are decent record shots. Zoomed in for better shots and saw it find some food but before I could take another photo it switched to feeding mode and began flying low over the shoreline and dropping down briefly from time to time heading west. Good looks in direct comparison to RBGU as it did this, and I was able to easily pick it up after losing it based overall differences to RBGU. I looked for it again when I got back to the parking area and didn’t spot it but two other birders were searching for it.

Technical information

Dimensions

4032 pixels x 3024 pixels

Original file size

7.84 MB