Although I only deduced his name later, I'm sure Vincent was the fellow who notified several of us that the "Common" Mew Gull was present on the rocks near the pedestrian bridge around 3:30.
We walked north and found the bird right where Vincent told us it would be. We studied it briefly there and then at greater length a couple of hundred yards to the south, after we inadvertently spooked its flock. This was an adult, as indicated by the immaculate tail, primaries with bold white mirrors and tips, and absence of black on the bill. Furthermore, details of the shape and color pattern of its bill, the pattern of its wingtips (e.g., the extensive black on p8 and the distinctive way that the lightly marked tip of p5 lined up with p6 on the folded wing), its relatively pale mantle tone (barely darker than that of Ring-billed Gull), and its small overall size leave no doubt that this was the same adult "Common" Mew Gull that has been present at this site since Shane found it. Shai Mitra Bay Shore ________________________________________ From: bounce-4898731-11143...@list.cornell.edu [bounce-4898731-11143...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of vincent N [v...@hotmail.com] Sent: Thursday, December 31, 2009 7:58 AM To: ny bird list Subject: [nysbirds-l] Mew Gull Description The Mew Gull I viewed yesterday in Brooklyn was out of the water, resting/sleeping on a rock and offering excellent views of its legs at close range. They were colored gray/green not yellow (strongly contrasting with the Ring-billed Gulls). Using the large Sibley's guide, P. 213, I concluded that this was a 2nd winter bird. Any discussion appreciated. Vincent Nichnadowicz Princeton Jct., NJ ________________________________ Hotmail: Trusted email with Microsoft’s powerful SPAM protection. Sign up now.<http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/177141664/direct/01/> Think green before you print this email. -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES Archives: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
