Subject: Lesser Black-backed Gull ???
Date: Jan 20 18:35:22 2004
From: Rolan Nelson - rnbuffle at yahoo.com


Hi Meredith et al,

If nothing else, we're learning from this discussion that a "Pure" anything is indeed the rarest of gulls!
Your description leads me to suspect it's a Slaty Backed due to the leg color. Lesser Black Backs, especially (dark) adults, are yellow legged. The all black primaries would suggest a 2nd or 3rd winter bird, depending on the species. It's just that the bill description doesn't quite fit.
Ok, I'm in over my head now. Post the photo and let the experts go at it!

-Rolan


Meredith and/or Dave Spencer <merdave at vib.tv> wrote:

Yesterday, Jan. 19th Richard Hendrick and I found a gull in Grand
Coulee (at their North Dam Park) that looks to be a possible Lesser
Black-backed Gull. Neither of us have ever seen one before. It is with a
large group of Herring Gulls and is smaller and VERY black. It has pink
feet and legs, a dark bill with light tip, dark eyes with smudges around
them. There are some brownish streaks on back of its head and a few on
its sides.There are no white parts on the primaries, they are all
black. Teri Piper took some digital pictures of it today (the 20th)., It
was in the same spot, on ice near the open water. Maybe some of you gull
experts can check this one out. Meredith

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Rolan Nelson
Fircrest, WA
rnbuffle at yahoo.com

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