Subject: [Tweeters] Kent Gull
Date: Feb 1 05:59:45 2006
From: SGMlod at aol.com - SGMlod at aol.com


Greetings All

Bill Shelmerdine's points are excellent. Marv Breece sent me some photos,
showing many of the same features delineated in those taken by the Sullivan's.

I really don't think this bird is too long winged for a Glaucous Gull. The
bill and bird are distinctly (but not dramatically) petit for a Glaucous Gull.
Yes, barrovianus Glaucous Gulls are smaller than other races, but barrovianus
should be our normal GLGU. In other words, we are used to seeing barrovianus,
so a GLGU that is even smaller yet can not be explained by attributing it to
that race. I will tell you, back in Chicago most GLGUs were monsters compared to
what I am used to seeing out here.

So, while I feel pretty certain that this bird is not an Iceland and is
likely a GLGU, I am still baffled by its size, relatively small bill for a GLGU,
and reddish-orange orbital ring (as seen well in Marv's pics). Sibley says some
GLGUs can show red orbital rings, but yellow is normal. I haven't checked
Olsen and Larsson yet. When a bird has a number of atypical features, I start to
get nervous. In other words, if we were living in a place where Glaucous Gull
was a major rarity, I am not sure I'd feel confident calling this bird a
Glaucous Gull either. There has been a rumor floating around of a population of
white-winged gulls in the Siberian Arctic that have yet to be classified......one
wonders.

Cheers
Steven Mlodinow