ML275162741

Détails de l'observation

****Very rare - a tough bird in Cook County and scarce but annual in Illinois. Reported around 5:15 PM by Ben Sanders, I received a text from Isoo O’Brien with a photo of the bird as I was driving out to DuPage County to see the Red-necked Grebe found earlier today by Glenn Perricone. Made the detour to check this gull out - upon arrival I was able to quickly get on the bird in question. It was a small, dainty gull in flight with a bold black M pattern on its wings, smaller head, and white tail with a black tip. Noticeably smaller and had a more erratic flight compared to the Bonaparte’s it was near, making it easy to pick out. We were having discussions of Ross’s Gull at the location, but upon arrival home I was able to darken my photos enough to verify there are black marks through the outer sections of the secondaries, solidifying the ID of Little Gull over Ross’s. My third this year in Cook County following a pair of birds on Lake Michigan in September. Photos.