Hi Tweeters,

I have been over to the Sequim-Dungeness area three times in the last two
weeks (wonder why?) and have tentatively ID'd a moderately large number of
Thayer's Gulls mixed in with the other gulls (Usually Bonaparte's, Mew,
Glaucous-winged, California, and 'Puget- Sound': Glaucous-winged X Western
Gulls). For example, at the John Wayne Marina, a Thayer's in a flock of
about 40 Gulls, and on the rock wall in the parking lot at the Three Crabs
Restaurant, 3 Gulls, one of which was a Thayer's. Features I use to try
to ID a winter adult Thayer's: Smaller than the typical Glaucous-winged X
Western Gull, with a less imposing bill and 'softer' rounder look to the
head, bubble-gum colored legs, more mottled on the head and neck, dark
primaries but not extensive like Mew or California, red dot on bill,
lighter eye color.

Sometimes I will be looking at a group of 60 gulls and can convince myself
that 6 of them are probably Thayer's. My question is: am I fooling
myself? Are these just a normal variation of hybrids...the details about
the 'webbing' on the wing tip usually pointed out in field guides escapes
me... Even when I'm birding with much better amateur birders, their
reaction when I point one of these gulls out is typically:' Yeah, I can go
with that', as if the ID is tentative and 'statistical', rather that
positive. But the experts don't seem to have any trouble with the
ID...what are they doing?


Rick Romea "We might as well be walking on the sun"
Seattle, WA - Smashmouth

rromea at stioptronics.com
206-523-5831 (Home)
206-827-0460 X 316 (Work)