Tweeters,


Yesterday I saw a juvenile Lesser Yellowlegs here in Half Moon Bay,
San Mateo Co, California. I looked up the early juvenile date in Dennis's
book and this one beats it by one day. Given that I am quite a bit further
south, it seems to be a pretty early record. Have others been seeing
juvenile yellowlegs already? BTW, the Lesser Yellowlegs is a relatively
uncommon shorebird here.
As well, the first juvenile CAlifornia gulls have arrived here. The
three birds I saw had completely black bills, not the typical bicolored bill
of young Californias. I have noticed this in Vancouver as well. It appears
that the youngest juveniles have dark bills, that quickly become pale on the
base. Michael Price has commented that he has observed this as well.
However, it does not appear to be widely known. Does this only happen on
some individuals, or is it a general rule?

cheers,
Alvaro Jaramillo
Half Moon Bay, CA

alvaro at quake.net