ML573848401
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age
- Not specified
- Sex
- Not specified
Observation details
Adult with small gull roost at tip of spit at high tide. Video at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIvdyZSidfc Appeared a good fit for LBBG but an interesting bird with a few things that struck me as perhaps a bit odd. Very dark-mantled, mantle significantly darker than nearby California Gulls. The legs were a somewhat muted, slightly greyish tone of yellow rather than bright yellow. Perhaps on the large side of the range for LBBG (looked about an average Herring size in the field and a bit bigger than the nearby Cali's) with a fairly substantial bill (red spot) and decent gonys (similar to an average Herring bill shape/size), and when perched didn't appear very long-winged with a fairly short primary extension past the tail. The outer ~4 primaries are weird though, apparently worn with no white tips or mirrors to speak of. The inner primaries up to ~P6 have large white tips. Orbital ring is reddish, iris bright yellow, only a few vague suggestions of streaking on the head/nape. A Harrier put up the gulls after a short time and I only got a quick view of the spread wings in flight as it flew directly away...very little contrast between the upperwing colour and the black on the primaries (dark grey blended into the black), and again no white at all on the worn(?) outer pp's.
Technical information
- Camera
- Microphone
- Accessories
- Original file size
- 282.16 MB