This morning, I checked out a bunch of the usual gull haunts in southeast Larimer County:
Lake Loveland northwest corner- Ring-billed Gull – 15 Herring Gull – 1 Boyd Lake north end - Ring-billed Gull – 3 Horseshoe Lake northwest corner - Ring-billed Gull – 30 California Gull – 12 California Gull ssp. albertaensis* – 2 Herring Gull – 3 Warren Lake - Ring-billed Gull – 400 Lesser Black-backed Gull – 2 (1 ad, 1 first cycle) California Gull – 1 Herring Gull – 1 Horsetooth Reservoir near Spring Canyon Dam - Ring-billed Gull – 40 California Gull – 2 Herring Gull – 1 *Notes on “albertaensis” California Gulls: These birds were in clean breeding plumage like the other California Gulls. Like our typical “californicus” California Gulls, they had dark eyes and a black mark on the bill next to the red gonydeal spot. One had bright yellow legs, consistent with breeding plumage; the other had gray legs with a blue-green wash typical of younger non-breeding California Gulls. What separated these two from the other California Gulls was their large size, intermediate between the other California Gulls and the Herring Gulls, and the pale gray mantle color just slightly darker than the Herring Gulls, and indistinguishable from some of the Ring-billed Gulls. The lighting was overcast. Unfortunately I did not have my camera. The status of “albertaensis” in Colorado is uncertain, and candidates should be photodocumented. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en.
