I am as puzzled as Rick is by this question-what are good guidelines for
Thayer's ID? I've never been able to confidently pick one out.
-Jim Neitzel

On Tue, 28 Oct 1997, Rick Romea wrote:

> 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)
>
>