Little Gull - Lawrence Rhoads
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Date

Location

Chincoteague NWR--Beach
Accomack, Virginia, United States
Media from this location Illustrated Checklist
Map
Map Coordinates: 37.8800638, -75.3495458
Age
Not specified
Sex
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Observation details

Tiny gull flew overhead, barely larger than the nearby Forster's terns. Thought it was a tern at first but flight pattern struck me as more gull-ish. Way too small for a laughing gull. Strong dark M shape made me think of the first summer little gull that's been hanging out here for a few days. Probably not a Bonaparte's because of the white trailing edge of the wing (which apparently would be black on Bonaparte's). I'm not 100% confident on this point though. There have also been little gull sightings the last couple days but no Bonaparte's. Snagged some pictures of it flying away, which I think are good enough for ID.

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