Gull Help Please! Spokane, WA USA (1 Viewer)

[mselle]

Hello,

I am looking for ID help with the gull pictured. I found the gull at Central Premix Pond in Spokane, WA, USA. It seems to be a rarity. It is pictured with Ring-billed Gulls, which allows for a size comparison. I estimate it to be about 25% larger. It is dull brown with a uniformly black bill. Feathers on the back and tertials are lined with white. The primary projection is about as long as the bill. The structural proportions and shape are elegant and rounded for a gull. It was a dim, overcast day, so the gull may appear darker than normal. I do have an idea of the ID in mind but am a relatively new birder with little gull experience, am not 100% sure of my ID, and don't want to prejudice the analysis. Any help confirming the ID would be much appreciated. Thank you!

Take care,
Mark

 

[lou salomon]

looks to be a first winter and thus fully juvenile Thayer's Gull, currently under Thayer's Iceland Gull.

 

[Butty]

I do have an idea of the ID in mind but . . . don't want to prejudice the analysis.

You won't prejudice the analysis - but, if you do give your current ideas, you will be permitting people to target their comments towards helping you more directly and thus more effectively.

 

[Butty]

Could you give the date, please? This is crucial information for gull ID. Thanks.

 

[mselle]

looks to be a first winter and thus fully juvenile Thayer's Gull, currently under Thayer's Iceland Gull.

Thank you Lou! I appreciate your help and hope others will chime in too. Take care, Mark

 

[Butty]

Could you give the date, please? This is crucial information for gull ID. Thanks.

 

[mselle]

Yes. Sorry to have neglected that. It was November 25th.

 

[mselle]

You won't prejudice the analysis - but, if you do give your current ideas, you will be permitting people to target their comments towards helping you more directly and thus more effectively.

I was thinking Iceland Gull (Thayer's).