Tweeters,

This is truly a bizarre-looking gull. It conforms to no normal plumage
of either Glaucous or Glaucous-winged Gull. The plumage on the
upperparts is an odd patchwork of whitish and dark brownish. I like
Charlie Wright's suggestion that this bird is partly melanistic and
partly albinistic (or leucistic) at the same time. I can see no other
explanation that would result in a bird looking like this.

The bird has an adult-type bill-- pale yellow, with at least a hint of
a red spot, and no blackish tip. Any attempt to identify it as an
immature has to struggle with this fact.

I've never seen a Glaucous Gull, not even a first-winter bird, with
this much dark brownish in the plumage. The dark-coloured eye is also
wrong for a Glaucous Gull. On the other hand, the bill and legs are
stout, perhaps enough so for a Glaucous Gull.

As far as being a Glaucous-winged Gull-- one could speculate that this
is a partly albinistic or leucistic first-year Glaucous-wing. However,
the adult-type bill shoots this theory down. (The second gull in the
background of Photo 1 is clearly a first-year Glaucous-wing, with
typically blackish bill and pale chocolate-brown plumage.)

Whatever this bird is-- Glaucous Gull, Glaucous-wing, or hybrid-- it
obviously has highly aberrant plumage, and I think there has to be
some partial melanism involved. A true "ugly gull", as Mike Patterson
would call it.

When a bird's plumage is this screwed-up, it can probably be safely
identified only by structural features (measurements, proportions,
etc.), which could be difficult in the field.

Sherry, thanks for posting this photo-- it certainly is an intriguing
bird. My compliments on some of the other bird photos on your
website-- there are some really beautiful ones!

Wayne C. Weber
Kamloops, BC
contopus at shaw.ca



----- Original Message -----
From: <Birdking88 at aol.com>
To: <littlebirder at netzero.net>; <tweeters at u.washington.edu>;
<snowyowl98683 at comcast.net>
Sent: Saturday, February 01, 2003 12:50 PM
Subject: Re: Glaucous Gull in Vancouver


> Hello all,
> This bird doesn't look right for a Glaucous Gull to me from
the
> photos, being blotched with dark gray and white and no patterning at
all. If
> this was a Glaucous, it seems it would have to be both melanistic
and
> albinistic at the same time. A third year Glaucous Gull is generally
quite
> adult-like except for the bill, and shouldn't have patches of white
on the
> scapulars. They also should always have a glaringly pale eye. The
head is
> rather rounded on this bird compared to Glaucous, and has a "blank
face" in
> contrast to the fierce look of some Glaucous. This bird looks more
like a
> partially albino immature Glaucous-winged Gull in my opinion. It
does look a
> bit large with a large bill, but probably within the range of a male
> Glaucous-winged.
>
> Cheers and good birding,
>
> Charlie Wright
> Birdking88 at aol.com
> Sumner, WA
>
> In a message dated 2/1/2003 11:52:45 AM Pacific Standard Time,
> littlebirder at netzero.net writes:
>
> As Mark Miller reported yesterday on Obol about the GLAUCOUS GULL at
Wy'East
> School. We found it in the afternoon on the grass in the pouring
rain. We
> went back today in better weather and no gulls were there (soccer
going on,
> etc) so we
> checked the Mt. View HS but only on bird so we checked the Safeway
parking
> lot (known for the gulls on the poles) at the corner of SE 136th
Ave. and
> Mill Plain in east Vancouver and sure enough it was on one of the
light
> poles. A man came by on his bike and threw out bread and it along
with the
> others came down and fed near by. At one point it flew across the
road to
> the High School Pharmacy parking lot of feed too then flew back to
Safeway.
> It is a delight to see this bird when it flies.
> Photos can be seen at the following website:
>
> http://home.pacifier.com/~birder/gull.html
>
> Sherry Hagen
> Vancouver WA
> littlebirder at netzero.net
>