Well, there was much more discussion that I expected on the photo posted on
January 3.

The photo has now been included in the Gull Quiz posted at
http://216.21.159.146/birds/seagull.html

Here is a summary of what folk have said about Bird #1.

Birders from central BC to southern OR sent comments. People had difficulty
determining size as there wasn't much to go on. Mike Tabak suggested that
nearby goose turds might help give some perspective ....

The extra tips I can add are:
a) The bird is noticeably smaller and daintier than a Glaucous-winged Gull,
but not tiny
b) In flight the bird was very evenly patterned with a broad brownish
terminal band on the tail. The color of the band was very similar to the
overall mantle color.

At first I thought it was a first winter bird, but there was quite a bit of
"smooth" gray replacing the scalloping effect, so I figure it is a
second-winter individual.

One of the most often suggested possibility was Ring-billed Gull. I had
eliminated that species for the following reasons.
a) Ring-bill should be quite white on the underparts, with much more
contrast top to bottom
b) Ring-bill should show a conspicous black terminal tail band
c) Since I had the advantage of seeing the bird adjacent to other species, I
could see that the bird in question was much larger than a Ring-billed Gull.

Mew Gull was suggested. The shape of a Mew is quite similar, but the bill
would be a bit smaller in proportion. Again, size matters - this bird was
too big.

Hybrid Glaucous-winged x Herring was another possiblity. However, I think
the Clover Point bird was too dainty and evenly colored.

There was quite a bit of discussion on BCVANBIRDS Yahoo Group about the
possiblity of it being some variant of Herring Gull. I eliminated that
species due to the shape. I expect Herrings to be fairly robust and
slightly flat-headed in appearance.

Well, in my non-expert opinion, it's a second winter THAYER'S GULL. Many
respondents suggested Thayer's but most were a bit hesitant. Well, what do
you expect with such a variable group. As Calvin Gehlen stated "I don't
think I have ever seen two second-winter Thayer's that look the same". Phil
Pickering added "It is a Thayer's, but it's a 2nd-winter. Some 2nd-winter
Thayer's only have scattered splotches of gray on the scaps and back like
this bird, while retaining markings that look sort of like juvenile but are
generally more uneven and finer (2nd-winter Thayer's can be very beautifully
patterned)."

Thanks all for your comments - it was a fun excercise.

If you have more comments on this bird or the gull quiz, please let me know.

More "answers" coming soon!!!

Michael G. Shepard
North American Bird Information Web Site:
http://www.islandnet.com/~mgs/birds/