Hi Tweets,

The Vancouver BC RBA writes:

(2.25)
>A KUMLIEN'S ICELAND GULL was seen at the tip of the south jetty at Iona.

(2.26)
>A second year ICELAND GULL was seen at Burn's Drive and 96th Street in
>Delta.

While I'm hesitant to rain on any parades because I wasn't there so don't
know what people saw, it would be a public service to see some posted
details on these birds before people rush to see them. Given the extreme
variability of Thayer's Gull Larus thayeri and Kumlien's (Iceland) Gull L.
glaucoides kumlieni (or is L. thayeri kumlieni?)--individuals at either end
of a cline? intergrading of subspecies? hybridising of species?--this is a
pretty difficult call anywhere west of eastern Canada even when the birds
are in exemplary plumage.

>From personal experience, I can say that at this time of year two things
make the ID even more difficult: worn primary tips on adult wings of some
thayeri and overall bleaching of the plumage of thayeri immatures. In the
former instance, abrasion can remove the small dark transverse bar and white
apical tip on P10, giving an unbroken white look to the wing suggesting
kumlieni; in the second, the bleaching produces a bird so pale that the ID
of 'Iceland' seems automatic (and I'm assuming that the second report would
be of the kumlieni type as well, as nominate glaucoides has never been
recorded away from the east coast, and there as a rarity only).

It's clear from personal experience and many discussions about
Thayer's/Kumlien's which have happened on various lists that away from the
eastern part of the continent-- particularly at this time of year--the
separation of thayeri and kumlieni is: a) difficult on many birds, b)
impossible on more than a few and c) the result of much fine-point analysis
and comparisons of plumage.

Michael Price A brave world, Sir,
Vancouver BC Canada full of religion, knavery and change;
mprice at mindlink.net we shall shortly see better days.
Aphra Behn (1640-1689)