Here's a gull from 11/23/12. I saw it in the same scope field with Great and Lesser BB Gulls but the only photos I have show it with Herring. I have included a typical LBBG with GBBG for comparison of back color and pointed to the LBBG with a wide arrow. I also created a composite photo. The bird was larger and darker than Lesser BB Gull (in direct comparison) and had a dusky eye rather than staring yellow (which could be seen on the known LBBG). In direct comparison with Great BB Gull it was smaller and slightly paler. Ultimately I thought the bird a hybrid of one sort or another.
Strikes against a LBBG include size, darker color, dusky eye, and leg color if fleshy pink rather than fleshy yellow. If too dark for a pure LBBG then LBBG x Herring would seem to be out. I didn't think a GBBG because of size and back color in direct comparison. Strikes against Slaty-backed seem to be the dusky eye and probably other things too. I saw the legs at a distance but not sure what color. One of the photos shows a well-defined white crescent and I zoomed in on it - not sure if it's the tertials or secondaries. Comments welcome. http://www.flickr.com/photos/22183060@N08/sets/72157632207031229/ Dave Wheeler N. Syracuse, NY -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
