ML129813851

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

Rec'd word around noon from Bill Hill that he was at Pt. Pinos (apparently to photograph BLKIs) and that he and some out-of-town birders had what was a possible Black-tailed Gull. Back-of-the-camera shots to the WhatsApp locals group from Bill Hill looked perfect for the species. I rushed over, and arrived about the same time as DE Roberson. Third-hand conversation suggested that the bird may have been seen yesterday by Mark Stephenson and others but the ID had been unresolved. The bird, a medium-sized early cycle immature individual, impressed immediately as BTGU because of: (1) Prominent white eye-arcs on a dark hood with pale foreface 2) smooth, uniform chocolate brown throat, chest down to the belly (3) conspicuous white rump contrasting with dark tail (4) red-and-black tipped bill. The uniformity of the brown extending all the way to the belly stood in contrast to many of the early stage CAGU present. The bird flew from John Denver memorial beach to Crespi Pond to bathe and drink then returned to the beach and roost opposite Crespi Pond. I left after observing the bird for some time to do a conference call for work as many other state listers were arriving. By the time my call ended the bird, had, apparently, flown north of the Point and out to sea.

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Lens

EF500mm f/4L IS USM

ISO

200

Focal length

500 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire, auto

f-stop

f/4.0

Shutter speed

1/2500 sec

Dimensions

4592 pixels x 3068 pixels

Original file size

7.77 MB