Okay here's a look at the gulls I see on this breakwater. Click on the picture to enlarge.
1,2 - These are first or second winter Glaucous Gulls. I know it's not fair, but you're just going to have to trust me on that. I was there.
3,4,5,6 - These are non-adult Iceland Gulls
7 - adult Iceland Gull
8 - adult Greater Black-Backed Gull
9 - one of many non-adult Greater Black-Backed Gulls
10 - one of many adult Herring Gulls
11 - one of many non-adult Herring Gulls
12 - now, this is tougher. I know I saw Ring-Billed Gulls on that breakwater. Patrick left a comment below to that effect. However, I'm not sure I can find any in this picture. Look, I'm no gull whiz, but I'm stumped. My best guess is number 12, which may be a dark adult Ring-Billed, but is more likely a Herring Gull. If you are better at gull IDs than I, weigh in.
Nature Finds a Way
9 hours ago
3 comments:
I'll admit that I was just guessing and assuming one of those distant gulls was a RB.
I could go either way on #12. It looks smaller than the closest obvious Herring Gull, but I'm having trouble telling whether that's because of actual size or just extra distance. I think a better Ring-bill candidate in the original photograph is the third gull to the right of the Iceland Gull you labeled #4. It has a rounder head and thinner bill than the Herrings, and seems smaller than the Icelands.
By the way, in the original photograph, there is a gull all the way to the left that appears to have a dark gray mantle and a smaller size than nearby Great Black-backed Gulls. Lesser Black-backed?
This is the ultimate quiz for serious birders. They should have contests like this.
*I Donated to Cornell Ornithology!*
http://www.opticsplanet.net/cornell-lab-of-ornithology.html
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