On July 28 Chris Hill remarked:

>Note that soft part colors of young gulls and terns are one of the more
>consistently misrepresented marks in field guides.

So maybe someone can tell me if very young (nestling) Herring or
Glaucous-winged Gulls could have all black legs and feet. We got an
orphan at Bird TLC which was confidently identified as a Black-legged
Kittiwake (black legs, right?) but at a slightly later date started to
look like a juvenile big gull with the heavy beak that has a slanting
facet on the lower mandible. Before it even lost its down it was bigger
than any two kittiwakes. Legs still black. Sorry I can't provide other
details; it was given to someone to release on the coast before I got to
see its first real feathers.

Our big gulls in Southcentral AK are Herring, Glaucous-winged and
Glaucous. Around the Anchorage area, Glaucous is pretty rare. We think
the bird was rescued in the Anchorage area, but record-keeping being
what it is...

Any tips appreciated. Also, is there a good reference work for identifying
such young gulls?

Glad the Yakathon was a success. Is it now considered the "First Annual?"

Chris Maack
Bird Treatment & Learning Center
Anchorage, AK
btlc at name1.ak.net