This afternoon I scanned Canal Park, and after thorough scanning, I came across one gull that looked slightly like an adult Herring Gull, but there were a few characteristics that were different about this bird (adult Thayer's Gull)...
There were large white spots on the folded wing tips, unlike the nearby Herring Gulls which have smaller, more petite white spots on the folded wing tips. The bird had a very dark eye. Rich pink legs. Bright yellow bill. Slightly darker mantle than the nearby Herring Gulls. Although it can be hard to judge the darkness of the mantle on an adult Herring Gulls and Thayer's Gulls, I've noticed that the Thayer's gulls' mantles are just a tiny bit darker gray than the Herring Gull's mantle. Those adult Thayer's Gulls are so darn beautiful. I did get some very distant photos of the adultThayer's Gull today, and will likely be uploaded tomorrow once I can use my camera again. Right now I'm waiting for my camera battery to recharge for photographing gulls tomorrow! Good birdwatching Erik Bruhnke Duluth, MN NATURALLY AVIAN - guided bird hikes and bird photography www.pbase.com/birdfedr/naturallyavian ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
