ML387662461

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Media notes

FRGU on the left

Observation details

*Rare southbound migrant; flying south w/ 2 Laughing Gulls at 07:53. First noticed the bird at a fair distance n/ne of the count site, approaching with LAGUs. Studied in scope for about a minute before the birds started to angle toward the e/se and give better profile views. Initial looks showed a mid-size gull that appeared a little bit smaller than nearby LAGUs with stockier and slightly more rotund body shape, a shorter tail, more rounded and perhaps shorter wings, and more rigid wingbeats (perhaps not as pronounced in this setting as winds were <5mph). At closest approach the birds were steadily moving toward the early morning sun and were about a quarter mile from my location as they passed well beyond the end of the jetty, at which point some of the plumage details could be discerned, with the bird in question consistently showing a darker head, at times the appearance of colder/paler upperparts than the LAGUs with some paler regions in the upperwings, and a generally cleaner appearance overall. The bird also appeared shorter-billed and maybe a little smaller-headed than LAGUs at closest approach. At ca. 50-60x some evidence of a tail band was visible, but details beyond that were not possible; the bird was flying just high enough to make this a challenge. No solid feel for the underwing color/pattern. Photos largely useless; the group was flying through intense glare over the ocean by the time I was able to locate them with a camera, and the images included here were taken once the birds were back in reasonable light (and of course, much farther away).

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Lens

EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM

ISO

400

Focal length

371 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/5.6

Shutter speed

1/3200 sec

Dimensions

1558 pixels x 876 pixels

Original file size

351.36 KB