Sorry about the repeated message; but one of my photos seems to show the bill is banded, not bicolored. Also found a photo of ring-billed gull that showed somewhat similar bleaching.
I am submitting a RQD as a Cottonwood County California Gull. I am leaving it "public" so anyone who may chase the bird can view the photos and draw their own conclusions before they commit. I have little idea if the bird is still present. There were ~5 gulls on the lake when I revisited at dusk, but they were well beyond binocular range. Brad Bolduan Windom -----Original Message----- From: Minnesota Birds [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Brad Bolduan Sent: Saturday, May 17, 2014 10:53 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [mou-net] Mystery Gull today - Cottonwood County (Long Lake) 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 ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
