Late this afternoon, 400pm to 420pm there was what appeared to be an adult basic plumage SLATY-BACKED GULL at Pueblo Reservoir. The bird was seen by three birders, and digi-scoped photos were taken. The bird was at the South Shore Marina tires then it flew out onto the lake. The gulls are fairly thick on these tires between 3pm and sunset, and I think that would be the best time to be looking for this bird. The bird is Herring Gull sized, with bright pink thick legs, dark gray mantle, with wide white tertial crescent, the bird had brown streaking on the neck, and dark streak near the yellow eyes. The bird was thick necked and big headed. The bird was short winged, and not long winged like most Lesser Black-backed Gulls. The bill was thick, long, and yellow, with red spot on lower mandible and a small black spot on the upper mandible. All of these things make me think this is a Slaty-backed Gull and not something else. Hopefully the photo will be good enough to convince everyone. I wasn't able to see it well enough in flight today, though I think this is the bird I saw at a distance yesterday off Sailboard launching area at Pueblo Reservoir late yesterday morning, that I believe that the correct wing pattern of an adult Slaty-backed. Hopefully the photos came out. I didn't have my digi-scoping camera with me, so I took photos through Jeannie Mitchell's camera and will get them out for you all to look at later this evening. Brandon Percival Pueblo West, CO
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