There's an interesting paper on back color variation in the August issue of
Birding, which I just got. Russian ornithologists report Slaty-backed and
Siberian Herring Gulls hybridize, and often treat them as subspecies. Hybrid
Glaucous X Glaucous-winged Gulls are frequent on Nunivak Island, off western
Alaska. The number of species recognized in this complex is purely a matter of
taste!

Paul DeBenedictis
SUNY Health Science Center at Syracuse

======================

From: Mike Patterson <mpatters at EDNET1.OSL.OR.GOV>

Given all the Western-winged Gull we have here on the north Oregon Coast, I
have often spoken the heresy of lumping all this mess as Northern White-headed
Gull. This would save me the trouble of disappointing the visiting birders
finding Thayer's and Herring Gulls in July and make Christmas Bird Counts
less complicated :)...
--
******************************** In the midst of the word he was trying to say
* Mike Patterson, Astoria, OR * In the midst of his laughter and glee,
* mpatters at ednet1.osl.or.gov * He had softly and suddenly vanished away---
******************************** For the Snark *was* a Boojum, you see. L