ML646594400

Observation details

Adult medium sized white-headed gull. RBGU sized with bold white tips on the folded primaries. Heavily streaked head and dark eye. Head streaking was dark and densest on the hind neck. Bill shaped like RBGU, not long and pencil shaped like a CAGU. Mantle a shade or two darker than RBGU from all angles. If the surrounding RBGU were 4 or 5 on the Kodak Gray Scale, the bird in question was 5 or 6. Mantle shade seen in direct comparison to RBGU. Bold white spots on the folded primaries point to an adult gull, not a second- or third-year type RBGU. The eye was notably dark, not dusky. The bill looked like a better fit for RBGU than Kamchatka Gull. I did not see the extended wing. Photos. The bird and gull flock were pushed further and further from shore by the strong winds where eventually I lost it. Pending further research, I am concluding it is an atypical adult RBGU that is retaining a dark eye and has a slightly darker mantle.