I'm curious why this bird is different than the gull that I first observed
on 11/2. Yes it is a california gull, with black wing tips, and yes it
has pink legs. I posted a message some time back asking for speculation on
the origin of the pink legs, with no responses.
On today's bird: The small head does not sound like the CAGU that was up
there but the rest sounds right. Did this bird have a smudge through the
eye? There could easily be another white gull up there, but except for the
small head it sounds like the CAGU. In my experience Thayer's in a fairly
unusual bird on the flats. Ruth, did you happen to get pictures and if so
it would be interesting to see these scanned. Also for thayer's it should
have a smaller bill than the california.
Thanks,

Scott Downes
sdownes at u.washington.edu
Seattle WA

"Birds don't read bird books. (That's why they are seen doing things they
are not supposed to do)." -Mary Wood


On Sat, 20 Nov 1999, Ruth Sullivan wrote:
> We was making our last loop one time more when we came from D"Arcy going
> back to Chukanut when all the sudden i stopped the car seeing an all white
> midium Gull circeling over the fields in a flocck of other Gulls. This Gull
> was realy breathaking looking and looked rare because he was all whie and
> had a pretty smal head. We been watching this Gull in the3 field for about
> fife minutes when there settled down in to the field not to far away. Even
> standing with about 50 other gulls aroud he stood out.As we watched i
> discovert an all white Gull no gray ore smutch on the body . but he had
> black wingtips with 4 white mirrors on the outer wings. The Gull was smaler
> than most other Gulls around him, a smal rounded head dark eye midium
> light yellow bill ,and Pink feet.The body looked Thayers or Iceland Gull.
> This Gull was absolutely stunnig looking, but where comes the all black
> Wingtips from?
> Some one in the field today says there was an Albino all white California
> Gull sighted in the Samish Flats latley. So when i looked today in my Gull
> Book by P.J. Grant he writes of Abinism: Rare cases of all -white
> albinistic gulls are therefore usually identifiable and ageable by there
> normal bare parts coloration as well as structure and size.And it will
> continue, found under " Colour Abnormalities "
> So if this bird have pink legs it could not be a California Gull rather
> than a Thayers all white with black wingtips Gull.Would be intersting to
> heare what other birders think of this Gull.I would mention that this is
> not the same Gull described by Scott Downes.
>
>
> Ruth Sullivan
> Tacoma
> godwit at worldnet.att.net
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