ML646668802

Observation details

When I arrived at the small island by the end of Desert Tortoise Road near Two Cow Cove I joined up with a group of birders and spent a lot of time watching the Glaucous Gull. It spent over an hour while I was there bathing in the shallow water next to the island shore. It appeared to have some dark blotches on its breast and belly feathers that it was trying to remove -- perhaps some oil or tar? This looks like a first Winter gull that was huge in comparison to the Ring-billed Gulls it was with. It was pale buffy overall with pale primaries, pink legs, and a bicolored bill that was pink with a black tip. See attached photos.