I'm linking to some photos of an interesting 1st-year gull. The bird was substantially smaller than Herring and slightly larger than Ring-billed in direct comparison. Other features are a very rounded head with eye seemingly right in the middle, and a tiny bill. Tertials dark-centered and primaries dark brown/virtually black. I don't think it can really be a Kumlein's-type. Thayer's seems the most likely but I thought some issues exist (I won't bias the viewer with what they are), then a very small Herring next. I considered California but don't think so. Comments welcome.
There's been some other interesting gulls there and one I took to be a hybrid, possibly of Lesser x Great Black-backed (or at least that seems to be the combination suggested). I'll eventually get the photos up. http://www.flickr.com/photos/22183060@N08/sets/72157632196951477/ Dave Wheeler N Syracuse, NY Madison County Landfill, Madison, US-NY Dec 7, 2012 1:30 PM - 3:15 PM Protocol: Stationary Comments: Calm winds, light rain. Gull "commute" back to Oneida Lake began in earnest around 3:30 8 species (+1 other taxa) Canada Goose 100 Red-tailed Hawk 2 Ring-billed Gull 600 Herring Gull 600 Iceland Gull 2 first winter Lesser Black-backed Gull 1 adult Glaucous Gull 1 dark end of the spectrum Great Black-backed Gull 25 gull sp. 1 seemingly a good candidate for Thayer's View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S1224764 -- 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/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/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/ --
