glaucous gull

[denis]

i,m thinking first winter glaucous gull,taken at the rouge last week.

[bernie2112]

A nice shot - as usual - (do you use a blind BTW?) - but why Glaucous - it looks like a Ring-billed to me.

Cheers,

Bernie
http://www.newlight.ca
http://www.flickr.com/photos/berniemonette

[denis]

thanks bernie.
no blind.there were 2 of them.very approachable
why glaucous? it was 2x as big as a ringbill,and the first winter glaucous,was the only one in my book,with a pink bill and solid black tip.

[thouc]

I believe this is a Herring Gull born last year (called first summer?), they have similar bill coloration as young Glaucous Gulls. The dark wing tips and tail gives it away (Glaucous should have very pale tail and wing tips).

/Thomas

[denis]

thank you thomas.
i,m sure your book is better than mine.i dont have sibley,s.i,m using national geographic.in mine,it shows first winter herring gull as having none or very little varying pink,only at base of bill.that,s what i based my I.D. on.upon further investigation,you,re right about the glaucous beeing a lot paler.
thanks again.

[thouc]

I have National Geographic also, but since it's lacking picture of summer Herring Gulls, I had to do some research online for pictures of the bill coloration of summer birds.

[Jim Thomson]

Might I suggest that it is a Nelson's Gull.  ie a hybrid between the Herring Gull and Glaucous Gull.

The very pink beak is typical of the 1st Summer Glaucous.  while the overall colouring is more typical of the 1st Summer Herring

[denis]

thank you for that jim.
very interesting,and one gull i,ve not heard of before.