ML614420103

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

**MEGA** At 3:16pm, Ryan Zucker reported on the new New York Birding Discord Server, on the Cayuga Lake Basin RBA channel, that Keigan Case and Gwen Gallagher had just spotted and photographed a Glaucous-winged Gull (GWGU) at the Stevenson Road Cornell University composting piles, but it had flushed at 3:01pm with the rest of the gulls and disappeared. Somewhat overexposed photos of the bird were circulated, which showed an apparent 2nd- or 3rd-cycle Glaucous-winged Gull standing and with wings outstretched, confirming basic field marks for GWGU. Area birders began scouring potential post-foraging roosting locations for any gulls, where the GWGU could appear. At 3:50pm, Jay McGowan reported seeing an ongoing 1st-cycle Glaucous Gull and a Lesser Black-backed Gull on the Red Lighthouse Jetty at the south end of Cayuga Lake. At 4:23pm, Alex Feinberg reported that there were lots of gulls which had arrived to roost on the docks and ice at the Allan H. Treman State Marine Park in the northwest part of the City of Ithaca, near the extreme southwest corner of Cayuga Lake. At 4:42pm, Jay McGowan posted that the GWGU had been relocated and was being seen on the docks at the Allan H. Treman State Marine Park. I had already driven past Stewart Park by this time and had decided that the lighting would be best viewing for any gulls on the Red Lighthouse Jetty from the southwest corner of Cayuga Lake and the area known as Hog Hole, which was accessed from a parking area at the Treman Marina. When Jay posted the update at 4:42pm, I was only 2 minutes away and arrived to find Jay and Kevin McGowan scoping the dock which was now crowded with Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls. They had found the bird, but had lost it by the time I arrived. I set up my scope and quickly relocated the GWGU, which was difficult to see among the numerous similar-in-size Herring Gulls standing around it. It was the only gull with extremely pale silvery-gray primary feathers tipped in white. Features of note include: 1) extremely pale silvery-gray primary feathers tipped in white and having shorter primary projection as compared to Herring Gull, 2) broad white secondary bar formed by each feather being extensively tipped in white, 3) noticeably more rounded shape to the head, 4) “dusty” gray head appearance extending to upper chest, 5) a gentle facial appearance with small dark beady eyes surrounded by light facial shading, 6) only slightly lighter shade of gray mantle color compared to adjacent Herring Gulls, but not terribly noticeable, 7) bill which appeared mostly dark (80%) except for the base of the upper mandible and extreme base of lower mandible with an overall shape that was dissimilar to the Herring Gulls by being slightly shorter with a bulbous tip, and relatively not as long as nearby Herring Gulls, 8) legs were difficult to see, but they appeared to be a pale pinkish color, 9) in brief views, the upper surface of the tail feathers appeared to have similarly pale silvery-gray coloration to that of the primary feathers, and 10) the rump appeared cleanly white. After observing the bird, while sharing my scope with others, and attempting to describe where it was hiding in the gull flock, other arriving birders decided to move to a different vantage point, viewing from the right (southeast) side of the Marina. I opted to walk around to the left (northwest) side of the Marina—in an effort to keep the waning light at my back. While I was the only person standing at this vantage point, I took time to study the bird and observe behavior and any other characteristics. Later, I attempted to secure photos through my spotting scope using my iPhone 14 Pro Max, which is extremely difficult to digiscope with on account of the shifting lens technology. I finally discovered that while in video recording mode, the lens stays fixed which allows me to record digiscoped videos of the bird. Later, I was able to take screen shots from different frames of the videos. The behavior of this bird was slightly different, almost being more curious about its surroundings. On several occasions, I saw the bird reach down to pick at “stuff” on the dock, and even reached up to pick at “stuff” on one of the pilings. I don’t think it was foraging behavior, I think it was just picking and being curious and fidgety. At times, the GWGU would easily defer in a submissive way to any direction interaction or potential interaction with nearby Herring Gulls or those walking by, causing this bird to move out of the way of interaction, or walk to another part of the dock. I also noticed the GWGU paying close attention to any gulls flying overhead, tilting its head to keep a seemingly wary eye skyward. At approximately 5:39pm, the GWGU, along with most of the gulls, took flight and headed north, out into the direction of the south end of Cayuga Lake. The gestalt of the bird in flight was that it seemed shorter-winged and perhaps slightly rounder-winged than Herring Gull. The wingbeats were quick, shallow, and stiff, giving it an ever-so-slightly “buoyant” or “light-on-the-wing” gestalt, at least to my eyes. There was speculation that this bird could be a second-cycle individual. I believe this oddly resembles some features with that of a third-cycle individual, vaguely similar to photo 166 on page 161 in Olsen's and Larsson’s Gulls of North America, Europe, and Asia (2003), of a 3rd-winter bird, with the exception of the seemingly dark primaries and tail-markings of photo 166 (which they speculate could be a GWGU x SBGU hybrid). Today’s GWGU had primaries and tail-markings that were not this dark. But, the bill on this individual appeared to be more similar to characteristics noted in late 1st-cycle and early 2nd-cycle individuals. Perhaps this is a very late 2nd-cycle individual instead, having mixed characteristics? Others with more experience will be the best judge of age.

Technical information

Original file size

5.69 MB