ML63028411

Age and sex

Adult, Unknown sex - X

Media notes

Adult Heermann's Gull in alternate plumage photographed by Curtis A. Marantz on 9 July 2017 at the mouth of the canal along the shore of the Salton Sea south of the west end of 84th Avenue, Riverside County, California.

Observation details

Shortly after I arrived at the end of the levee at the mouth of the canal south of 84th Avenue, I spotted this bird standing on the beach among the other gulls and pelicans. I then observed this bird and took some photos before it flew off while I was not looking. I saw this bird in good light but at moderate distance, and with the bird generally facing into the wind and thus away from me. This was a medium-sized gull that I estimated to be 20-25% smaller than adjacent California Gulls, yet with a generally similar shape. The bill was relatively short, slim, and straight. The head was of unremarkable size and with a smoothly rounded crown. The medium-length neck was slim where it joined the head, the body was plump, the wings tapered to pointed tips, the tail was short and seemingly square-tipped, the legs were of medium-length, and the feet were fully webbed. Given that I saw this bird only as it stood on the beach and initially as it preened, I never saw the spread wings. This bird stood out among the other birds as a result of the contrast between the white of the head and neck, the slate-gray of the back and wing-coverts, the nearly black wingtips and tail, and the medium-gray sides and flanks, but given that I saw the bird primarily from behind, and occasionally the side, I never clearly saw the breast or belly. I did notice white tips to the tertials that created an inconspicuous “tertial crescent,” and also that the tail was narrowly tipped paler, but I never saw the rump or much additional contrast in the wings. By far the most conspicuous thing about this bird was the bright, scarlet-red bill that was indistinctly tipped darker. I was less sure about the color of the eyes, or if they were encircled by a colorful orbital-ring, but I was able to see clearly that the legs and webbed feet were dark gray to blackish in color.

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Lens

EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM

ISO

320

Focal length

400 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire, auto

f-stop

f/8.0

Shutter speed

1/1000 sec

Dimensions

1059 pixels x 691 pixels

Original file size

532.43 KB