Yesterday, September 1, as my brother Robert and I were viewing shorebirds in
Hillman Creek, just east of the entrance to Hillman Marsh in Essex County, I
saw an immature gull fly over the road from the marsh and circle over the area
we were scoping. I immediately recognized it as a plumage I had never seen
before, and after viewing it my binoculars, concluded that it best resembled a
second year California Gull. The bird joined a small group of Ring-billeds
roosting on the mud flat relatively close by, and I called my brother's
attention to it and we began to observe it intently. We watched and studied it
carefully for about 15 to 20 minutes, and the more I worked through its various
plumage and structural characters, the more convinced I became that it was a
first summer individual moving into second winter plumage. However, the bird's
legs were hidden from view for a while as it stood behind some Ring-billeds,
and then it roosted on the ground for a
while, so we had to wait patiently until finally it got up and flew to perch
on a nearby tire in the mud. Much to my surprise, the bird had blackish-red
legs like a Laughing Gull! I've seen a few strange gulls over the years, and I
am aware that there can be inconsistency at times in leg and bare part
coloration in gulls, but I had never heard, seen, or read about any of our
non-hooded, white-headed gulls having legs like this. Robert and I observed the
bird very carefully to make sure it wasn't mud we were seeing, but there was no
doubt about it -- the gull had basically black legs with some reddish tones
here and there, especially on the feet. I reiterate that it was perfect for a
second-year California Gull otherwise. I considered whether this bird
represented possible hybridization with a Laughing or Franklin's Gull (although
I'm only aware of Laughing Gulls occasionally hybridizing with Ring-billeds,
and I know nothing about hybridization of
Californias), but I could find nothing about this bird outside of the black
legs that would suggest non-California Gull genes in its makeup. I used both my
Sibley's and National Geo field guides and carefully reviewed the treatments of
California Gull on the Large Gulls of North America video when I got home. If
anyone has any comments or can shed any light on this very unusual gull, my
email address is [EMAIL PROTECTED] .
Incidentally, we had 15 shorebird species including a Wilson's Phalarope, a
Red-necked Phalarope, 2 White-rumped Sandpipers, 3 Baird's, and a Wilson's
Snipe. At Wheatley Harbour there was a second-year and a third-year Lesser
Black-backed Gull.
Randy Horvath, Windsor
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