There is a bird on the Astoria waterfront which I am inclined to call
a GLxGW hybrid because is *does not* have white primaries. I saw the bird
yesterday (I will be going back today to attempt photos). It had the size,
shape and bi-colored bill of a Glaucous Gull. It had frosty gray/white
mantle; lighter than Glaucous-winged, but the primaries were actually a bit
darker than the back and mantle (about what you'd expect on a GWGU).

Feather wear is, I think, the first thing to look for before one even starts
to sort out Northern Pink-footed Gull into all the siblings. I've chased
around way to many 2nd winter Glaucous-wings and Thayer's Gulls trying to
make them into something more interesting. And when the photos come back,
and the action is stopped on feather shafts minus barbules...

I suspect that most coastal birders have trays full of ratty gull photos.


--
*********************************
* Mike Patterson, Astoria, OR *
* mpatters at orednet.org *
http://www.pacifier.com/~mpatters