I saw a very worn gull today and I still have not reached a definite conclusion as to its ID. It is an adult or near-adult white headed gull with a dark eye, red orbital ring, greenish legs and a bi-colored bill. If not for the bill, the photos of the perched bird would resemble a California Gull - although that was certainly not my impression in the field (probably because I first saw the bird in flight). The bird in flight has strikingly patterned wings - almost certainly as a result of feather wear. The bird landed on the road carrying a small catfish and was flushed as the next vehicle came by.
I have some photos of varying quality that should be sufficient for ID. The better photos are of the bird perched. If a few gull aficionados want to give me their opinions I can send a couple photos - let me know. Thanks Brad Bolduan Windom ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
