The gull was on the pond when I arrived at 2:45 today. At rest, it could be readily picked out from neighboring Ring-billed Gulls by the pale back and upperwing. After about 5 minutes, perhaps because of some disturbance by young people along the shore, it lifted off, briefly resettled, and then lifted off again, circled slowly to gain altitude, and flew off toward the bay to the north. It showed red legs and feet (as also reported to me this morning by Bob Proniewych) and the typical primary pattern (white above, blackish below) of an adult Black-headed Gull. I did not see any features of plumage or soft parts that made me suspect anything but a typical Black-headed Gull.
Douglas Futuyma Stony Brook, NY [email protected] [email protected] -- 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/[email protected]/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/ --
