Earlier today, North Fork birder Jody Levin, while chauffeuring her 105 "years young" father on business, sighted a gull, in a newly plowed farm field, that looked "different". The bird was in a flock of mostly Ring-billed Gulls, with a few Herring Gulls amongst them.
Armed with only binoculars and having to leave, she called Aaron Virgin of "The Group for the East End", who saw the bird ~2:45 PM, and posted it on NFBirds, in the hope of others seeing the bird and offering comments...as he had to leave also. Aaron's initial impression was possible California Gull, listing size (smaller than a Herring Gull), long wings, dark mantle, dark iris, bill markings and leg color (whitish pink, and at times, appearing to be greenish yellow). I arrived ~ 5 PM, finding what could have been the same flock of gulls (mostly ring-bills, ~30) and 4- 5 herrings, along with, what I believe to be the same gull that Aaron described. Although I was only on the bird for ~ 5 minutes, I am sure of the following: 1) dark gray mantle and scapulars (quite a bit darker than nearby ring-bills) 2) Coverts molting 3) Larger size than ring-bills, but closer to them than to herrings. 4) Long wings, with dark primary tips. 5) Rounded head 6) Dark eye 7) Greenish legs 8) Bill - Red gonydeal spot and black bill ring. 9) The bird's standing posture seemed more horizontal than the nearby ring-bills, which to me, looked more pitched upwards, as you traveled from tail to head. I referenced *Gulls of the Americas* by Steve N.G.Howell and Jon Dunn, finding photo #24.22 on Pg.154, of a 2nd cycle breeding California Gull, to be the closest to what I saw in the field today. Jody, Aaron and* *I will be trying to relocate the gull tomorrow, and welcome all others to help solve this mystery ! Cheers, Bob * * -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
