Subject: Re: Unknown gull
Date: Dec 9 08:52:42 1994
From: Eugene Hunn - hunn at u.washington.edu


Michael,

I'll take a stab at it. It's not a Glaucous-winged as it's too small &
slender... If it's a Ring-billed sub-adult the primaries must be
leucistic or bleached out indicating some aberrancy in molt. How about a
Kumlien's (Iceland) Gull, subadult, just to muddy the waters.

Gene Hunn (hunn at u.washington.edu)

On Thu, 8 Dec 1994 MBEB1215 at delphi.com wrote:

> There were Ring-billed gulls present as well as California Gulls. I mention these first because the gull I saw was in this size range.
> It w as also very slender, not bulky like the larger gulls nearby.
> The gulls were present on the football field at Meridian South and 136th on South Hill near Puyallup. I work at Firgrove Elementarysouth of the field.
> I tried to get another look at it this morning, but there was a lot more action than yesterday. The birds didn't sit still for me. I'm not sure the bird in question was present, though I thought I caught a quick glimpse of it.
> The plumage gave me the impression of a winter adult. Can a third winter juvenile give that impression?
> I did not get a look at the tail. Wings folded, there appeared to be a pattern in the primaries but the wing tips were very pale, offering little contrast with the white.
> I'll be the first to admit my inexperience with gulls. My size estimate especially could be way off.
> Thanks for your input!
> Michael Brown
> MBEB1215 at delphi.com
> Puyallup, WA
>