Here's a couple cents worth on my observations of gulls in Alaska:

1-in Anchorage in May 1996, I observed no "pure" Glaucous-winged Gulls, only
Herring X Glaucous-winged. I believe there were no "vegae" involved.
2-in the Pribilofs, I saw only "pure" Glaucous-winged. One "vegae" race
Siberian) of the Herring Gull was noted.
3-At Gambell on St. Lawrence,the common medium/large gull was "vegae," they
were abundant in late May. No "argentatus" were seen. Glaucous were abundant
too, only one 2nd-yr Slaty-back, one Ivory, one Common Black-headed, one
Bonaparte's.

Andy Stepniewski
Wapato WA


>I recently moved from Anchorage to Everett. Yes, many of the Gulls in
>Southcentral Alaska are GW x Herring hybrids - although obvious pure GW
>and Herrings are seen as well. In my winter birding experience in
>Anchorage, Kenai penninula and Kodiak Island - all of the Herring Gulls
>are absent. However, GW and GW x Herring birds remain in these areas with
>open water, particularly since winter fisheries provide ready food
>sources. The waters near Seward, Homer and all around Kodiak do not
>freeze. I am consulting some of my more knowledgeable bird friends in AK
>- and will relay more information soon - as the question of
>hybridization in the Aleutians and Kamachatka reaches is also a good one.
> One wonders if all of these species will one day be one and the same?
>Can't stop evolution, right?
>Kathryn Chamberlin
>Everett
>
>