Hanuta06
Well-known member
I’m new to birding, am having some difficulty identifying gulls and would appreciate any help someone could give me. The four photos below are of different gulls in the Puget Sound region, Washington State, USA. The first three photos were taken at Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge in the afternoon on August 1st, and the last photo was taken in the morning in July at Fern Cove, Vashon Island. All four birds have pink legs, heavy bills, and appear to have dark irises, but the darkness of their primaries and mantles are different.
First photo (from left): I assume this is a Glaucous-winged since its primaries are almost the same color as its mantle, and because Glaucous-winged Gulls are listed as abundant in the summer at the refuge and are known to breed and nest there.
Second photo: this one’s primaries are also almost the same color as its mantle, but the feathers are a darker shade of gray than the bird in the first photo. Glaucous-winged Gulls often hybridize with Western Gulls in the region and the hybrid is listed as common at the refuge in summertime, so I’m guessing it’s a Glaucous-winged x Western. Or could it be a Glaucous-winged that simply has darker feathers?
Third photo: this bird is certainly different from the first two. His mantle is a darker shade of gray and his primaries are black with white tips—and a large white spot (is this what’s called a “mirror”?) on the left wing’s primary that is visible in the photo. At first, I thought it was a Western Gull, but after looking at the drawings in my books, it seems that this bird’s mantle is still not as dark as that of a Western, and Westerns are only listed as occasional for summertime in the refuge. Could this one be a Glaucous-winged x Western hybrid?
Fourth photo: this is the photo that was taken at a different location and time (than the previous three)-- Fern Cove, Vashon Island in July—but the bird looks similar to me as the one from photo three. Could this be yet another example of a Glaucous-winged x Western hybrid?
I’ve read that Glaucous-winged also hybridize with Herring Gulls, but I don’t know if they are as common in the Puget Sound region as the Glaucous-winged x Western hybrid.
Thanks in advance for the help! I’ve spent hours trying to figure this out on my own.
First photo (from left): I assume this is a Glaucous-winged since its primaries are almost the same color as its mantle, and because Glaucous-winged Gulls are listed as abundant in the summer at the refuge and are known to breed and nest there.
Second photo: this one’s primaries are also almost the same color as its mantle, but the feathers are a darker shade of gray than the bird in the first photo. Glaucous-winged Gulls often hybridize with Western Gulls in the region and the hybrid is listed as common at the refuge in summertime, so I’m guessing it’s a Glaucous-winged x Western. Or could it be a Glaucous-winged that simply has darker feathers?
Third photo: this bird is certainly different from the first two. His mantle is a darker shade of gray and his primaries are black with white tips—and a large white spot (is this what’s called a “mirror”?) on the left wing’s primary that is visible in the photo. At first, I thought it was a Western Gull, but after looking at the drawings in my books, it seems that this bird’s mantle is still not as dark as that of a Western, and Westerns are only listed as occasional for summertime in the refuge. Could this one be a Glaucous-winged x Western hybrid?
Fourth photo: this is the photo that was taken at a different location and time (than the previous three)-- Fern Cove, Vashon Island in July—but the bird looks similar to me as the one from photo three. Could this be yet another example of a Glaucous-winged x Western hybrid?
I’ve read that Glaucous-winged also hybridize with Herring Gulls, but I don’t know if they are as common in the Puget Sound region as the Glaucous-winged x Western hybrid.
Thanks in advance for the help! I’ve spent hours trying to figure this out on my own.
