ML620728414

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

Rare but annual vagrant to Lake Michigan. Adult Hooded gull species smaller than nearby ring billed gulls with full black hood, white eye arcs relatively thinner than a FRGU's, longer and slightly droopy dark bill relative to a FRGU's, white body, dark gray upperwings, practically jet black primary extension, Dark legs, lack of white primary tips a FRGU would have. Appeared at 4:19pm on the protected beach and lingered until a firework explosion at 5:24pm flushed all of the gulls into the air, many of which left after (probably southbound). Bird was initially spotted by PIPL monitor Sarah V at 7am, Phil S kindly called me and I arrived in 20 minutes, about 90 seconds after the bird flew off. I decided to camp out at the pier starting at 11am in the hopes that with the winds from the SW and hot day incentivizing people to crowd the surrounding beaches, the gull would seek the protected beach as safe refuge again. This species doesn't sit for long periods of time in cook county per records and I missed one this year already. After 5+ hours of sitting in the sun on the pier, flies biting my ankles, and a horrible sunburn, the bird appeared as I was packing up to leave. One last check with my binoculars and my backpack on and I spotted it. Complete disbelief in that moment. Storybook refind!!! Cook year bird #267!

Technical information

Model

iPhone XR

Lens

iPhone XR back camera 4.25mm f/1.8

ISO

25

Focal length

4.3 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/1.8

Shutter speed

1/257 sec

Dimensions

4032 pixels x 3024 pixels

Original file size

1.9 MB