With apologies for the delay. Family stuff you know... Just before 3 this afternoon I found a first winter Mew gull among hundreds of Ring-billed Gulls (RBGU) about 50 yards north of the parking lot that is on the south side of the Belt Parkway west of the Bay Parkway exit (#5). https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zTixGyKi8_-M.kn3mrdhCGBLE The bird was initially on the railing mixed in with RBGU and I was immediately struck by the tiny bill and gentle dove-headed look. The legs were greenish gray particularly the upper portion, the thin bill was gray-green at the base with a angular black tip. Overall the bird presented as smaller and daintier than RBGU and was very brown both at rest and in flight. The upper tail coverts and rump were strongly barred which distinguishes L. brachyrhynchus (Mew Gull.) from L. Canus (Common Gull). The mantle was a mixture of gray adult feathers (darker than surrounding RBGU) and retained juvenile feathers. The rear end was attentuated with 5 primaries visible beyond the tertials. The bird flew down onto the rocks (it was about one hour after dead low tide I believe) and at one point regurgitated something and then ate it, successfully fighting off the bigger RBGU that tried to steal it from him. Over the course of the next 25 minutes it flew north 10-15 yards at a time before then flying south to mix in with a large flock of RBGU at the end of Bay Parkway right next to the Caesar's Bay shopping center. Doug G. arrived at that time and quickly relocated the bird on top of Kohl's department store. We watched the bird for awhile longer, it taking a few meandering flights before then heading north across the Belt. While I went to give chase Shai had arrived and he and Doug stayed put in case the bird came back which it did briefly before disappearing again. Last sighting was around 4 I think. Link to photos on Picasa: https://picasaweb.google.com/aplomadoperegrine/MewGull2015?authuser=0&feat=directlink
-- 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/ --
