I have been exchanging messages with several people about the white-
winged gull in the Kent Valley. I agree pretty much exactly with what
Steve Mlodinow wrote about the reasons why the bird is puzzling. It
really is too small to be a typical Glaucous Gull, yet it seems too
large to be a typical Iceland Gull. We all know that size isn't the
best field mark, yet it is important, and it's good that people are
trying to photograph the bird near other gulls. It would be really
good to get it next to a Thayer's.

I'm not impressed by whether it looks fierce or innocent, and I think
that Charlie Wright's comments that the bird has looked like both of
these subjective impressions ought to be taken seriously. I firmly
believe we should once and for all desist in using these impressions
as field marks, as I think they confuse more than enlighten. I have
photos of Thayer's and Mew Gulls with flat heads, as they're not
supposed to have. But why shouldn't they be able to flatten their
head feathers just as much as a Glaucous-winged Gull can? Their
skulls are not differently shaped than those of the other gulls. And
I think any gull can fluff up its head feathers - maybe it's a sign
of a headache or a thought about an especially tasty herring. You
should watch a pet parrot or a Steller's Jay express its emotions in
that way.

One of Marv's photos shows a pretty substantial gonydeal angle on the
bill, typical of Glaucous Gull, but several other photos don't show
that, so if I looked at the latter photos I would have thought
"Iceland." The orbital ring color looks to me reddish-orange, which
could be either species. Iceland is typically reddish, Glaucous
typically yellow to orange, but all the books say that Glaucous can
vary to red.

Many presumed "Kumlien's" Iceland Gulls, the type that should occur
in Washington, have pure white wings, so the lack of gray markings in
the wings do not rule out Iceland in any way.

Sadly, I haven't had a chance to see the bird itself (I would really
much rather see birds than vote on them, but the latter seems to be
my fate), but having seen the fine photos of the Sullivans and Marv
Breece, I too am left with a big question mark hanging over it.

The story about the mystery gull of Siberia, according to the Olsen
and Larsson gull book, comes from researchers having seen smaller
white-winged birds in the same area as Glaucous Gulls, far to the
east of the known breeding range of Iceland. Of course, where they
saw them (Novaya Zemlya) is far to the west of Washington!

Dennis Paulson
1724 NE 98 St.
Seattle, WA 98115
206-528-1382

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