ML645243668

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Lifer. Of all the gulls I’ve chased, this one proved the most stubborn. Ever since a Franklin’s showed up in Cape May in July, I’ve been after this medium-sized, hooded gull—an infuriatingly subtle Laughing Gull look-alike. After multiple dips in Cape May, I tried again along the Laguna Madre with no luck. Then came the Brownsville Landfill, where I sifted through tens of thousands of Laughing Gulls and still came up empty. Today, in strong winds, Justin scanned a flock of hunkered-down gulls and finally picked one out. Noted the gray mantle with brown-centered upperwing coverts, blackish primaries with white subterminal spots, white tail with gray center, and the dark gray “saddle” across the crown and auriculars that sets off a bold white collar around the nape, lores, and forehead. Compared with nearby Laughing Gulls, this bird showed a smaller, finer bill and thicker, more prominent white eye crescents. Managed a hard-earned digiscoped shot—wind-shaken but clearly diagnostic.

Дополнительные виды

• Laughing Gull Leucophaeus atricilla
• Black Skimmer Rynchops niger