ML626805653

Age and sex

Juvenile, Unknown sex - 1

Media notes

Juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull photographed by Curtis A. Marantz on 21 November 2024 along the Los Angeles River channel above Downey Street in Vernon, Los Angeles County, California. This may or may not be the same bird that was previously seen by Chris dean and Mark Scheel at the nearby 26th Street bridge on 18 November 2024, but the patterns do appear to be a bit different, and if so, this is likely a new individual.

Observation details

While looking for the purported Vega Gull, I managed to find what appeared to be a juvenile Lesser Black-backed that is likely also a continuing bird among the large flock of birds above the Downey Street bridge. I initially saw this bird from a distance, but I walked up to take some photos and study this bird briefly before it eventually flew across the river channel to land on the far side a bit further away, where I left it. I did not see this bird later, but I also did not search carefully for it. I saw it both standing on the concrete floor of the river channel and when it made its brief flight, but I concentrated on getting photos, especially when it took flight, so my description is rather superficial. This was a relatively large gull that did not stand out as being conspicuously smaller than the other birds, but I was also unsure about just how much smaller than it was relative to the Herring and Western Gulls. Its bill was relatively short, in that it would have extended backward on the face to a point near the rear edge of the auriculars, it was slimmer overall than those of the Western Gulls, and I did not think it had a conspicuously angled gonys, so the upper and lower mandibles were roughly parallel-sided from the base to the blunt tip. The forehead was sloping and the crown was gently rounded, but I cannot recall whether or not this bird had an angular junction of the forehead and crown. The head was unremarkable in size for a large gull, the neck was short and inconspicuous, and the body was plump, full-chested, and with a posture that was closer to horizontal than diagonal. I further thought the wings were relatively long and with narrowly tapered wingtips, but I did not carefully check the primary projection or the placement of the wingtips relative to the tail. The legs were unremarkable for a large gull in both their length and mass, and the toes were webbed. When seen in flight, I noted that this bird had relatively long, slim wings, and also that the tail was short and basically square-tipped, but I did not note much more detail about the structure. This was a generally rather dark gull overall. I thought the head, neck, and underparts were a dark gray to brownish-gray overall, but with a paler forehead that blended into a darker crown that was finely streaked. As I recall, the loral region between the bill and the eye were also paler like the forehead, but I also saw some warm brown immediately before the eye, and also that there was a sooty smudge through the eye and across the front part of the auriculars that contrasted with a generally paler face. I also thought there was more of the warm-brown color on the auriculars just behind the smudge, but overall, I thought the auriculars and crown were a rather dark, grayish in color. The front and sides of the neck were marked with dark grayish on paler gray or whitish, and having a mottled pattern that was a bit diffuse and appearing more mottled than streaked. My impression was that this mottling was coarser and more apparent than on the other young gulls, but I did not notice the coarse, conspicuous mottling on the neck and sides that I often associate with somewhat older individuals of this species. My recollection of the pattern on the breast, belly, sides, and flanks was that it was rather dark and uneven, but not conspicuously mottled, or noticeably paler than the upperparts. The undertail coverts, as best I could determine, were white with well-defined, black barring. I may have seen the underside of the tail, but even if I did, I cannot now recall noting its pattern. Returning to the upperparts, I noted that the back and wings contrasted as only slightly darker than the head, neck, and underparts. The back and wings were primarily a sooty color and appearing neither obviously brown nor gray, but with fringes and internal markings that appeared light gray to whitish. I did not carefully note the pattern of markings on the mantle, but the scapulars had sooty centers that contrasted with wavy fringes of whitish to produce a pattern that appeared somewhat mottled as opposed to one of clear scaling. The wing coverts likewise had fine markings of whitish to light gray that created a complex and uneven pattern as opposed to one of crisp checkering or simple scaling, and the tertials were blackish with whitish fringes that were broader and more complex at the tips of the feathers. The primary tips evident in the closed wing were uniformly blackish and without conspicuous fringes. As I recall, I saw the patterns on the rump and tail only when the bird was in flight, when I noted that the rump and base of the tail were mostly white, but also with blackish barring scattered throughout, and contrasting with a broad, black band across the distal part of the tail. I did not see a conspicuous pale panel across the inner secondaries, but I could easily have missed a more subtly paler region, and I have no clear recollection of noting additional detail on the spread wings. The bill was black, the irides were dark brown and contrasting with black pupils, and the legs and webbed feet were fleshy-pink in color.

Technical information

Model

ILCE-7RM5

Lens

FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS

ISO

160

Focal length

600 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/6.3

Shutter speed

1/1600 sec

Dimensions

5555 pixels x 3546 pixels

Original file size

21.64 MB