ML40950261

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

"Wondering about a first winter Ring-billed or Herring Gull. Heavy bill mostly black tip. Black primary wing tips. Seemed slightly larger than Ring-billed." These were my first comments based on caution. I don't see many gulls in AZ throughout the year so I generally feel like I am seeing a bird for the first time all over again. Now back at home I am reflecting on the sighting. I had been seeing Ring-billed gulls fly by throughout my visit to the lake, and they were expected and likely common here. The sheer size of this gull I am calling a Herring is tough for me to get a feel for in the field. Was it larger than a Ring-billed Gull or even California Gull? In hindsight, yes I feel strongly that it was. I don't think I should have used the wording "slightly larger" in my initial comments, because that to me suggests just an inch or two larger. When it flew off I watched it for some time and compared to the Ring-billed Gulls I had been observing, it seemed heavier with strong and deeper wingbeats. The outer primaries were black and inner primaries had a more silver color. I also saw the dingy pink legs as it lived off the water. When the bird was sitting on the water, through binoculars I saw it had a mostly black bill with flesh color at the base, and it was large. The scapulars were a chocolate color with mottled appearance. No clean light gray upper back. San Carlos is a hot bed for wandering birds. So I should consider even more rare gulls. But all the field marks for me at this time lead to Herring.

Technical information

Model

DSC-HX300

Lens

4.3-215mm f/2.8-6.3

ISO

80

Focal length

215 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire, auto

f-stop

f/6.3

Shutter speed

1/250 sec

Dimensions

5184 pixels x 3888 pixels

Original file size

3.93 MB