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ID-FRONTIERS for December 1-9, 2000
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Messages are displayed in the order they were received.
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| Subject | From | Date | Time |
| Rare Birds in Spain website update: photo of
Indian Reef Heron etc... | Ricard Gutierrez | Sat, 2 Dec 2000 | 4:35pm |
| INPUT NEEDED on POSSIBLE Yellow-legged Gull | Dave DeReamus | Sat, 2 Dec 2000 | 8:01pm |
| Re: INPUT NEEDED on POSSIBLE Yellow-legged Gull | Nick Rossiter | Sun, 3 Dec 2000 | 12:21pm |
| RFI: identification of White-winged Junco | Martin Reid | Sun, 3 Dec 2000 | 6:16pm |
| Re: INPUT NEEDED on POSSIBLE Yellow-legged Gull | Jennifer Hanson | Sun, 3 Dec 2000 | 8:03pm |
| INPUT NEEDED on POSSIBLE Yellow-legged Gull | Brian Small | Mon, 4 Dec 2000 | 2:23am |
| Easton, PA, mystery gull description - long | Jennifer Hanson | Mon, 4 Dec 2000 | 6:15pm |
| Re: [PABIRDS] Easton mystery gull description -
long | Katrina Knight | Mon, 4 Dec 2000 | 6:42pm |
| Re: Easton, PA mystery gull | Dr. Robert H. Lewis | Mon, 4 Dec 2000 | 7:14pm |
| Re: Easton, PA Mystery Gull Photos and Info | Dave DeReamus | Tue, 5 Dec 2000 | 1:35am |
| Easton, PA Mystery Gull | Bruce Mactavish | Tue, 5 Dec 2000 | 7:18am |
| Re: Easton, PA Mystery Gull | Ricard Gutierrez | Tue, 5 Dec 2000 | 2:41pm |
| Re: Easton, PA Mystery Gull | norman van swelm | Tue, 5 Dec 2000 | 4:58pm |
| Review of 1st North American Gull Conference | Angus Wilson | Tue, 5 Dec 2000 | 6:58pm |
| Re: Easton, PA Mystery Gull | Dick Newell | Wed, 6 Dec 2000 | 2:37am |
| Re: Easton, PA Mystery Gull | Robert H. Lewis | Wed, 6 Dec 2000 | 8:11am |
| Re: Easton, PA Mystery Gull | Katrina Knight | Wed, 6 Dec 2000 | 8:35am |
| AW: INPUT NEEDED on POSSIBLE
Yellow-legged Gull | Jan Ole Kriegs | Wed, 6 Dec 2000 | 9:51am |
| Re: Easton, PA Mystery Gull | Jennifer Hanson | Wed, 6 Dec 2000 | 10:54am |
| Re: Easton, PA Mystery Gull | Brian Small | Wed, 6 Dec 2000 | 12:54pm |
| Re: AW: INPUT NEEDED on POSSIBLE
Yellow-legged Gull | Steve Sosensky | Wed, 6 Dec 2000 | 1:03pm |
| Re: Easton, PA Mystery Gull | norman van swelm | Wed, 6 Dec 2000 | 6:38pm |
| Re: Easton, PA Mystery Gull | Tony Leukering | Wed, 6 Dec 2000 | 6:55pm |
| Smithsonianus size | James H. Barton | Wed, 6 Dec 2000 | 7:09pm |
| Thayermlien's Gull? | Phil Pickering | Thu, 7 Dec 2000 | 12:16am |
| Re: Easton, PA Mystery Gull | Dick Newell | Thu, 7 Dec 2000 | 3:25am |
| Re: Smithsonianus size | norman van swelm | Thu, 7 Dec 2000 | 4:58am |
| Re: Easton, PA Mystery Gull | Daniela & Detlef Gru | Thu, 7 Dec 2000 | 1:03pm |
| Home page update | Jerry R. Oldenettel | Thu, 7 Dec 2000 | 2:00pm |
| Mystery Gull Update | Dave DeReamus | Fri, 8 Dec 2000 | 1:20am |
| Re: Easton, PA Mystery Gull | Nick Rossiter | Fri, 8 Dec 2000 | 1:56am |
| Merlin tail patterns | Will and Beth Russel | Fri, 8 Dec 2000 | 8:11am |
|
To use email addresses replace '(AT)' with '@'.
This is done to confuse the spam 'bots.
|
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Rare Birds in Spain website update: photo of
Indian Reef Heron etc...
From: Ricard Gutierrez <GUTARB(AT)terra.es>
Date: 2 Dec 2000 4:35pm
Hello:
Besides the almost daily news on rare birds here, I've included a new page
on assorted photos of rare birds seen in Spain last month. This includes a
(at least for me) interesting shot of an Indian Reef Heron (Egretta gularis
schistacea) seen in NE Spain which was initially found in September (then
described and photographed, also featured in the website) and relocated in
early November when photographed again. Interestingly, the bird, which was
slightly pied but of an overall whitish tone, has developed a darker mantle
which is clearly visible in the new shot. Other structural features are also
evident (leg length, neck thickness, bill structure & colour, body shape)
all those clearly separating this subspecies from other W Palearctic Egretta
species.
Thank you for having a look
Ricard Gutiérrez
http://www.terra.es/personal3/gutarb
3.12.2000
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: INPUT NEEDED on POSSIBLE Yellow-legged Gull
From: Dave DeReamus <becard(AT)FAST.NET>
Date: 2 Dec 2000 8:01pm
Hi all,
HELP, please!
A POSSIBLE Yellow-legged Gull was found by Rick Wiltraut on the 29th in
Easton, PA. Since then, it has been seen every day by many observers and,
yet, there is much discussion as to what the bird really is.
Here are some of the things that 'bug' me about this bird being a
Yellow-legged:
1) Most of the books that I have and most of the gull websites that I've
checked mention that Yellow-leggeds are supposed to have fairly clean, white
heads. This bird has heavy streaking on the head and has what appears to be
a heavily-streaked collar on the nape.
2) I have seen mention on some gull websites that the Yellow-legged appears
longer-winged. This bird's wingtips extend a short way beyond the tail; and
if you compare its wing projection with the other surrounding Herring Gulls,
there seems to be no noticeable difference, or even at times appearing to be
shorter.
3) When in flight, the entire length of the secondaries (from primaries to
body) shows a fairly dark gray bar. Do Yellow-leggeds have this bar?
Aren't they mostly white throughout?
The things that DO fit Yellow-legged are:
1) Of course, the legs are yellow.
2) The mantle is darker than the surrounding Herrings and lighter than the
few Lesser Black-backeds that are occasionally present.
3) It has a large, red gony spot that includes the upper mandible.
My personal, and BY NO MEANS professional, opinion is that this bird appears
to be a hybrid of some sort-----Herring x Lesser Black-backed?
The bird has been hanging out in the middle of the Lehigh River with
Ring-billed, Herring, and a few Lesser Black-backeds. Because of this
distance, pictures have been tough to come by. However, during the last two
days, I have attempted getting some shots of it with a 1000mm lens. This
enlarges the bird, but also enhances other problems (the need for high-speed
film and the associated graininess, etc.).
At any rate, I have scanned the best photos but, since I don't have a
webpage to post them on, I would be glad to send them to anyone who would
take the time to check them out and give me some feedback.
I would greatly appreciate any input on this bird.
Thanks and Good birding,
Dave DeReamus
'Eastern PA Birdline' Compiler
Easton, PA
becard(AT)fast.net
Remember that birds can't read range maps!
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Re: INPUT NEEDED on POSSIBLE Yellow-legged Gull
From: Nick Rossiter <nrossiter(AT)SUPANET.COM>
Date: 3 Dec 2000 12:21pm
Dave, I'll look forward to seeing your photos if you place them on a server,
but I've made a few preliminary observations below:
----- Original Message -----
From: Dave DeReamus <becard(AT)FAST.NET>
To: <BIRDWG01(AT)LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU>
Sent: Sunday, December 03, 2000 2:57 AM
Subject: [BIRDWG01] INPUT NEEDED on POSSIBLE Yellow-legged Gull
> Hi all,
>
> HELP, please!
>
> A POSSIBLE Yellow-legged Gull was found by Rick Wiltraut on the 29th in
> Easton, PA. Since then, it has been seen every day by many observers and,
> yet, there is much discussion as to what the bird really is.
>
> Here are some of the things that 'bug' me about this bird being a
> Yellow-legged:
>
> 1) Most of the books that I have and most of the gull websites that I've
> checked mention that Yellow-leggeds are supposed to have fairly clean,
white
> heads. This bird has heavy streaking on the head and has what appears to
be
> a heavily-streaked collar on the nape.
YLG from the Mediterranean do have fairly clean heads but those on the
Atlantic, particularly in the more northerly part of the range, can be quite
heavily marked on the heads in autumn and early winter. I believe the first
recorded YLG in North America (Wilds, C, & Czaplak, D, (1994). Yellow-legged
Gulls (Larus cachinnans) in North America, Wilson Bulletin 106(2): 344-356)
had a markedly streaked head. Azores birds are often full-hooded and
Atlantic Iberian and north-west Moroccan birds can also show extensive
markings.
>
> 2) I have seen mention on some gull websites that the Yellow-legged
appears
> longer-winged. This bird's wingtips extend a short way beyond the tail;
and
> if you compare its wing projection with the other surrounding Herring
Gulls,
> there seems to be no noticeable difference, or even at times appearing to
be
> shorter.
The relative lengths of the outer primaries on Atlantic YLG are close to
those of Herring Gull. Atlantic YLG look less attenuated at rest than the
Mediterranean form and on the folded wing the primary tips P8-P10 appear
'bunched'.
>
> 3) When in flight, the entire length of the secondaries (from primaries to
> body) shows a fairly dark gray bar. Do Yellow-leggeds have this bar?
> Aren't they mostly white throughout?
The photos would be useful here.
>
> The things that DO fit Yellow-legged are:
>
> 1) Of course, the legs are yellow.
OK
>
> 2) The mantle is darker than the surrounding Herrings and lighter than
the
> few Lesser Black-backeds that are occasionally present.
Most Atlantic YLG are rather darker than Mediterranean YLG and they often
show a bluer tinge.
>
> 3) It has a large, red gony spot that includes the upper mandible.
Good feature for all YLG
>
> My personal, and BY NO MEANS professional, opinion is that this bird
appears
> to be a hybrid of some sort-----Herring x Lesser Black-backed?
It may be premature to say this. Atlantic YLG do look in many respects like
putative hybrid Herring Gull x LBBG.
>
> The bird has been hanging out in the middle of the Lehigh River with
> Ring-billed, Herring, and a few Lesser Black-backeds. Because of this
> distance, pictures have been tough to come by. However, during the last
two
> days, I have attempted getting some shots of it with a 1000mm lens. This
> enlarges the bird, but also enhances other problems (the need for
high-speed
> film and the associated graininess, etc.).
>
> At any rate, I have scanned the best photos but, since I don't have a
> webpage to post them on, I would be glad to send them to anyone who would
> take the time to check them out and give me some feedback.
>
> I would greatly appreciate any input on this bird.
Hope this helps for a start ...
Nick Rossiter
http://www.nrossiter.supanet.com/ylg/
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: RFI: identification of White-winged Junco
From: Martin Reid <upupa(AT)AIRMAIL.NET>
Date: 3 Dec 2000 6:16pm
Dear all,
I would like to get any references for racial identification of juncos -
especially the aikeni form, White-winged Junco. In the past I've seen the
occasional dull Slate-colored form with very faint wing bars, but today I
saw two birds in a mixed flock of juncos that were almost identical to each
other and both had 2 wing-bars. The only photo I can find is a male in
Kaufman's new book - and i don't know to what degree that image has been
"enchanced" or how representative it is. the birds I saw were not at all
like this, and much more like the illustration in BUNTINGS and SPARROWS
(Byers, Olson and Curson) Plate 23, figure 59f, but a bit darker, and with
a distinct warmer brown edge to the tertials and secondaries. The wing
bars were thin (median tips thicker than greaters), and similar on both
birds in that the white tips of the median bar were accentuated by the
bases of the median coverts being a darker gray than the rest of the
upperparts. Both birds were a bit larger than most of the other juncos, but
one male Slate-colored was about the same size (at the other extreme, a
Pink-sided Junco in the flock was noticably smaller than these two birds);
they also looked to have very long tails; it was hard to judge in the
field, but I felt that there was possibly more white in the tail than on
the other juncos in the flock.
What do female/first-basic aikeni look like? are there any published ( or
web) images of these plumages?
Many thanks for any help with references or advice on ID.
Martin
Martin Reid
upupa(AT)airmail.net
http://www.martinreid.com or http://www.cyberramp.net/~upupa
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Re: INPUT NEEDED on POSSIBLE Yellow-legged Gull
From: Jennifer Hanson <ammodramus(AT)HOTMAIL.COM>
Date: 3 Dec 2000 8:03pm
Hi Dave and Frontiers,
Dave DeReamus said:
>A POSSIBLE Yellow-legged Gull was found by Rick Wiltraut on the 29th in
>Easton, PA. Since then, it has been seen every day by many observers and,
>yet, there is much discussion as to what the bird really is.
>
>Here are some of the things that 'bug' me about this bird being a
>Yellow-legged:
<snip>
>2) I have seen mention on some gull websites that the Yellow-legged appears
>longer-winged. This bird's wingtips extend a short way beyond the tail;
>and
>if you compare its wing projection with the other surrounding Herring
>Gulls,
>there seems to be no noticeable difference, or even at times appearing to
>be
>shorter.
I saw this bird (whatever it is; I'm not sure) today. I am working up a
description from my field notes (no photos, alas), but I want to reply to
this point of Dave's first. When I saw the gull, I was able to see the
undersides of the primaries on the wing opposite to me while the bird
preened. A large white mirror appeared to be in the middle of the primary,
not out at the end where it should be. I believe this bird is in the
process of growing its outermost primary, which is why its wings look so
short. A number of other observers there at the same time also noticed this
feature.
Since Yellow-legged Gull molts earlier than some of its relatives, this
bothered me as a mark against Yellow-legged Gull. On returning home, I
found an article by Bruce Mactavish in Birders Journal (1995 Volume 4, # 6,
pp.294-299) about a Yellow-legged Gull in Newfoundland in 1994-1995. To
quote: "The outer two primaries of this bird were shorter than the third
outermost primary on December 26. By January 23 the outermost primary was
almost full length. This would put completion of the wing moult at the end
of January, at least three months late for Yellow-legged Gull, and nearly
two months later than Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gull. The possibility
of a food shortage en route to Newfoundland is a plausible explanation
delaying moult." Mactavish goes on to give an example of delayed molt in
three adult Mew (Common) Gulls in Newfoundland. So, appears there may be a
precedent for a Yellow-legged Gull with delayed molt in North America.
Best regards and good birding,
Jennifer Hanson
Montclair, New Jersey USA
ammodramus(AT)hotmail.com
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: INPUT NEEDED on POSSIBLE Yellow-legged Gull
From: Brian Small <BrianJSmall(AT)AOL.COM>
Date: 4 Dec 2000 2:23am
Dear all
I have had photos of this birds sent to me, and in reality it doesn't look
right for a YLG. The primary moult is wrong, although Bruce MacTavish seems
to have a reason for delayed moult - which I think is odd anyway - but other
aspects of the plumage is wrong in my opinion.
The mantle is dark, but still blue-toned not the flat slate- or purple-grey
of YLG; the streaking on the head extends onto the chest and is blotchy,
unlike the distinct thin dark streaks of YLG, which cluster around the eye,
then extend along the upper ear coverts and and from there up onto the crown
- once known this pattern is obvious.
The gull looks like a yellow-legged Herring of the race argentatus.
Brian Small
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Easton, PA, mystery gull description - long
From: Jennifer Hanson <ammodramus(AT)HOTMAIL.COM>
Date: 4 Dec 2000 6:15pm
Hi Frontiers,
If you don’t like gulls, delete this message now. Since there has been a
bit of discussion about the odd "yellow-legged" gull in Easton,
Pennsylvania, on this forum, I am taking the liberty of posting a
description of the bird here; I've also posted this description to the
PABIRDS listserv.
What follows is my description of the “mystery gull” at Easton,
Pennsylvania. I saw it yesterday, 3 December, and watched it for probably
close to an hour. I want to thank Katrina Knight and Art McMorris for
helping me and my friends get on the bird, as well as discussing the bird
with us and encouraging me to post a description to PABIRDS. This
description is derived mainly from field notes and sketches made during the
time I observed the bird. Although I discussed the bird with several
people, both during and after the sighting, what follows is my own
perception of the bird. I strongly urge others to go look at the gull,
document it and, if possible, get some good photos of it.
The gull spent most of its time standing still with its bill tucked into its
back feathers but there were a couple of bouts of preening and it stretched
its far wing twice. Even when it was resting, its eyes were open most of
the time, and it watched the goings-on around it by turning its whole body
rather than lifting its head. It stood on a submerged rock the whole time;
the waterline was just above its feet, which were visible through the water.
It roosted near two Herring Gulls (Larus argentatus smithsonianus), which
provided direct comparisons, although the reported Lesser Black-backs (L.
fuscus graellsii) would have been equally welcome. It was comparable in
size to the Herring Gulls, or perhaps a bit smaller.
Most of the time it stood at the same angle as the Herring Gulls, so we
could confirm that its mantle color was a shade darker than that of the
Herrings without worrying about it being an artifact of the light. When the
bird turned, this difference sometimes became less evident; the bird could
easily be overlooked. The mystery gull’s mantle also appeared to be a
duller gray than the Herrings’ mantles, without so much of the bluish tinge
that the Herrings had. When it preened, it revealed dark gray secondaries
on the underwing; they appeared to be the same shade of gray as the mantle
and contrasted with the adjacent white underwing coverts . There were no
brownish feathers in the mantle, so this bird appeared to be a full adult.
The bird’s legs were clearly yellow, not pink, although they were not bright
yellow. The yellow color of the feet was evident even looking through the
shallow water at them. There were many Ring-bills (L. delawarensis) present
(virtually all adults) and the mystery gull’s leg color was brighter than
that of some of the Ring-bills. At one point, the bird began to stamp one
foot repeatedly, like a plover tapping its foot while feeding, although it
was impossible to discern what purpose this action had. As the bird stamped
its foot, the light shone through the webs on the feet; the webs appeared to
have a pinkish tinge, but it’s difficult to be sure of this due to the
bird’s movement.
The bird’s bill was strikingly different from those of the Herring Gulls.
It was a brighter yellow compared to the Herrings’ washed-out, almost
translucent pale yellow bills. There was a large red spot on the gonys,
noticeably larger than the Herrings’ red gonys spots. The mystery gull’s
gonys spot was topped by a smudge of black; there was also a separate speck
of black on the upper mandible. Although some observers have reported that
the bird’s red gonys spot bleeds over onto the upper mandible, it seemed to
us to be clearly limited to the lower mandible. The bill’s structure was
also different; the gonydeal angle was more pronounced, the distal tip of
the culmen curved downward sharply and a sharp bill tip, almost resembling a
raptor’s hooked bill, was evident. Meanwhile, the Herring Gulls’ bills were
straighter sided without a strong gonydeal angle. I did not see the gape
color on the mystery bird, unfortunately.
Since the bird kept its eyes open most of the time, it was easy to tell that
it had pale irides, probably pale yellow. It was impossible to confirm the
color of the orbital ring from our distance, but we could see the orbital
ring and it appeared to be dark. The forehead was sloping.
The bird’s underparts and tail were immaculately white. The head, hindneck
and upper breast sides, however, were streaked. The streaking was heaviest
on the top of the head and around the eye; it extended partway down onto the
cheek. The forehead was white contrasting with the streaks. On the back of
the head, the streaking diminished to a few scattered dark dots. The upper
hindneck was almost completely unmarked, but further down, blackish dots ran
together to create a partial collar of definite blackish streaks on the
lower hindneck. Light streaking was evident on the sides of the upper
breast.
The bird had an extremely short primary extension; the tail tip was even
with the second white spot from the end of the folded primaries.
Altogether, four primary spots were visible, although the fourth one in from
the wingtip was difficult to see due to the white tertial crescent’s falling
even with it. This wingtip extension was even shorter than that of the
attendant Herring Gulls. When I saw the opposite folded wing while the bird
preened, the reason for the short primary extension became evident. A large
white mirror appeared to be halfway down on the primary, not at the end
where it should be. From this, I concluded that the bird was still growing
the outermost primary. From this view of the folded wing, one can deduce
that at least the five outermost primaries have black markings. When the
bird briefly stretched the opposite wing, it was impossible to be sure of
the exact pattern, but the overall impression I got was of a largely black
outer wing with a line of white apical spots dotting the trailing edge.
Good photos of the spread wing would be very helpful in evaluating this
bird. When the bird stretched its wing, there was no sign of the growing
outer primary, although the wing was also angled away from me as the bird
stretched.
I don’t wish to put a name on this bird at this point. I have been doing
research in the literature, but every possible identification I’ve come up
with so far has some problem preventing it from being conclusive. In
addition to the species listed above, I have varying amounts of experience
with the following gulls: Herring (L. argentatus argentatus) (including
"yellow-legged" Herring Gulls); Lesser Black-backed (L. fuscus fuscus and a
possible L. f. intermedius); and L. argentatus (?) heuglini, sometimes known
as Siberian Gull. I don’t claim to be a gull expert, however, just an
interested observer. I have no firsthand experience with any of the
Yellow-legged Gulls (L. cachinnans), unfortunately. I look forward to
others’ comments and hope my description can contribute in some way to the
study of this interesting gull.
Best regards and good birding,
Jennifer Hanson
Montclair, New Jersey USA
ammodramus(AT)hotmail.com
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Re: [PABIRDS] Easton mystery gull description -
long
From: Katrina Knight <kknight(AT)EPIX.NET>
Date: 4 Dec 2000 6:42pm
On 08:05 PM 12/4/00 Jennifer Hanson wrote:
Art McMorris and I viewed the gull at the same time as Jennifer, but
from an angle that put us more to the rear of the bird. To add to
Jennifer's fine description, we did see its gape once while it had its
head turned preening, and it was red and the orbital ring appeared
reddish to me. (The lighting was just not very good for viewing that.)
>The bird's legs were clearly yellow, not pink, although they were not
>bright
>yellow.
> As the bird stamped
>its foot, the light shone through the webs on the feet; the webs
>appeared to
>have a pinkish tinge,
I would call the leg color noticably bringhter than the ring-bills and
my impression was that the pinkish tinge of the feet was due to the
angle of the sun.
> The bill's structure was
>also different; the gonydeal angle was more pronounced, the distal tip
>of
>the culmen curved downward sharply and a sharp bill tip, almost
>resembling a
>raptor's hooked bill, was evident.
I found the bill's shape to be the most striking thing about the bird.
It appeared much more raptor-like than any gull I've ever noticed
before, nothing like our usual Herring Gulls.
As for identification, the information I've read says that Atlantic
Yellow-leggeds can have heavily streaked heads, but it also says these
darker than the Mediteranean birds. This bird was not much darker than
the Herring Gulls. This troubles me. The bill bothers me for calling it
one of the Herring Gulls with yellow legs. The structure of the bird
seems nothing like a Lesser Black-back, so a HerringxLBBG hybrid
doesn't seem to fit. All of this leaves me firmly undecided about its
ID.
--
Katrina Knight
kknight(AT)epix.net
Reading, PA
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Re: Easton, PA mystery gull
From: "Dr. Robert H. Lewis" <rlewis(AT)MURRAY.FORDHAM.EDU>
Date: 4 Dec 2000 7:14pm
Hi,
Dave DeReamus sent me some photos of the bird in question and I just put
them on my web page. I haven't linked to this new page yet from my gull web
site but will soon. Here's the URL:
http://www.fordham.edu/lewis/birds/easton/easton.html
FWIW it does not look like a michellis YLGU to me.
Bob Lewis
Sleepy Hollow NY
http://www.bway.net/~lewis/birds/gulls.html
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Re: Easton, PA Mystery Gull Photos and Info
From: Dave DeReamus <becard(AT)FAST.NET>
Date: 5 Dec 2000 1:35am
Hi all,
First of all, thanks for ALL of the MANY responses on 'the' gull. The
amount of responses has been almost overwhelming, but fantastic at the same
time. I just don't have the time to personally respond to everyone
individually, so I will post more information on here and PABIRDS as I
receive it.
The good news is that the photos taken by Rick Wiltraut and I are now
available on Martin Reid's website. Thanks to Martin for making things on
this end alot easier.
The address is: http://www.martinreid.com/gullsp17.html
One pretty important note is that the large, red gony spot, originally
thought to extend onto the upper mandible DOES NOT. We watched it today (it
was a little closer) and definitely saw that the red was ONLY on the lower
mandible. The bird does appear to have a small 'hook' at the tip of the
bill resembling a raptor's bill.
As far as I can tell, the gape is red like the orbital ring.
At this point in time, I have to call this bird a "Hanging Chad" Gull. In
other words, the jury's still out.
Good birding,
Dave DeReamus
'Eastern PA Birdline' Compiler
Easton, PA
becard(AT)fast.net
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Easton, PA Mystery Gull
From: Bruce Mactavish <bruce.mactavish1(AT)NF.SYMPATICO.CA>
Date: 5 Dec 2000 7:18am
The Easton, PA gull is an example of why one shouldn't identify gulls by
elimination. With Yellow-legged Gull all the subtle differences from
Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gull add up to make a distinct bird.
However these three closely related species come close to overlapping at the
extreme end in most features. And then there are hybrids and freaks of
nature.
In my opinion the Easton bird looks closest to a pale Lesser Black-backed
Gull. The heavy streaks on the head, extending down to the lower neck and
across the lower breast is right for LBBG. In all the literature and photos
I've collected on Yellow-legged Gull (michahellis and atlantis) streaking
should at most be on the head (the crown and side of head) reaching the nape
mainly on Azorean Atlantis.
The mantle is said to be a shade darker than a LBBG. The mantle colour
looks to be within the range of graellsii when compared to the Ring-billed
and Herring Gulls in the photographs. I know how the more underexposed a
photograph becomes the darker a dark mantled gull appears and the greater
the contrast next to paler mantled HEGUs, less prone to slight changes in
film exposure. Taking this in to account the mantle being 'a shade paler
than Herring Gulls' would be pale for a LBBG. It is not easily explained.
The dark mark on the upper mandible may indicate immaturity. A fourth
winter bird could perhaps have a less than perfect mantle colour.
The descriptions talk of a sloping forehead. The photos in general show such
a shape. The photo of the bird swimming is somewhat small-headed and
particularly slope foreheaded - very like a LBBG. Yellow-legged Gulls on
average being squarer headed often with a short steep forehead giving a
tough look.
The large red gonydeal spot on a brightly coloured bill is fine for both
LBBG and Yellow-legged Gull. The sharply dropping culmen is better for
Yellow-legged Gull but certainly happens on LBBG.
The primary moult shows P10 about 50% full length. With P10 at this state of
growth, P9 should also be less than full, and according to the short primary
extension, this is so. The ten or so adult LBBGs that I saw in the last
week of November 2000 in Ontario and Newfoundland were all growing P10 and
P9, much like this bird. Herring Gulls at this time had, for the most part,
fully grown in P9 and nearly or had completed growing P10 - thus were a few
weeks ahead of the LBBGs and the mystery bird. And as the literature says
Yellow-legged Gulls should have finished primary moult at least a month ago.
The Easton mystery gull shows more in common with Lesser Black-backed Gull
than Yellow-legged Gull. There is the possibility of a hybrid LBBG x HEGU.
This could account for the paler mantle. But the bare parts - bright yellow
legs, brightly coloured bill and red orbital ring are LBBG features. The
few suspect LBBG x HEGU hybrids in Newfoundland have had dull yellow legs
and dull smithsonianus coloured bill (also a more smithsonianus body and
head build).
My first bet on the Easton bird would be an unusually pale graellsii Lesser
Black-backed Gull. Distant second guess, a hybrid Lesser Black-backed x
Herring Gull. A wild third guess is one of those poorly known Siberian
Herring/Lesser Black-backed type Gulls.
Bruce Mactavish
St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada
bruce.mactavish1(AT)nf.sympatico.ca
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Re: Easton, PA Mystery Gull
From: Ricard Gutierrez <GUTARB(AT)terra.es>
Date: 5 Dec 2000 2:41pm
Hello:
I've seen both comments by Bruce Mactavish (hi!) and also the pictures
featured in the Martin Reids website and despite my limited knowledge in
many ssp and sp of large gulls, I can certainly say for sure that this bird
is not either a Mediterranean michahellis or an "cantabrican" michahellis:
the first has by no means any spot in the head in adult plumage or at the
most a faint spotting in the head the year before adquiring adult winter
plumage. The cantabrican form (from extreme NW Spain, for example) is paler
than the Mediterranean michahellis and does not seem this bird at all.
Colour of upperparts fits variation within our wintering graelsii the paler
of which may approach darker michahellis but always give a different
"feeling" in terms of head structure and obvious head markings during
winter.
Perhaps the only question I have on this bird is the bulk aspect, different
from the average rather slim and elegant graelsii we're used to see here.
Please have a look at pictures I took on 31.1.2000 at the Llobregat Delta
Nature Reserves, Barcelona, NE Spain at
http://www.gencat.es/mediamb/rndelta/graf/idllof73.jpg where both species
are featured: no dark markings in heads of michahellis. And some variation
on fuscus.
Other YLG pictures are:
http://www.gencat.es/mediamb/rndelta/graf/idllof74.jpg
http://www.gencat.es/mediamb/rndelta/graf/idllof75.jpg
and another LBB picture at
http://www.gencat.es/mediamb/rndelta/graf/idllof76.jpg where you can see
different kinds of head streaking.
Regarding Canary islands and Madeira/Azores atlantis, my experience is
limited to the summer so I cannot say much about that.
Hope this contributes
Ricard Gutiérrez
Rare Birds in Spain
http://www.terra.es/personal3/gutarb
5.12.2000
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Re: Easton, PA Mystery Gull
From: norman van swelm <Norman.vanswelm(AT)WXS.NL>
Date: 5 Dec 2000 4:58pm
Hello All,
I agree entirely with Ricards comments (see below). Should this bird be seen
here in The Netherlands we would consider it a Herring Gull belonging to the
North European race L. a. argentatus!
Norman
>
>I've seen both comments by Bruce Mactavish (hi!) and also the pictures
>featured in the Martin Reids website and despite my limited knowledge in
>many ssp and sp of large gulls, I can certainly say for sure that this bird
>is not either a Mediterranean michahellis or an "cantabrican" michahellis:
>the first has by no means any spot in the head in adult plumage or at the
>most a faint spotting in the head the year before adquiring adult winter
>plumage. The cantabrican form (from extreme NW Spain, for example) is paler
>than the Mediterranean michahellis and does not seem this bird at all.
>Colour of upperparts fits variation within our wintering graelsii the paler
>of which may approach darker michahellis but always give a different
>"feeling" in terms of head structure and obvious head markings during
>winter.
>Perhaps the only question I have on this bird is the bulk aspect, different
>from the average rather slim and elegant graelsii we're used to see here.
>Please have a look at pictures I took on 31.1.2000 at the Llobregat Delta
>Nature Reserves, Barcelona, NE Spain at
>http://www.gencat.es/mediamb/rndelta/graf/idllof73.jpg where both species
>are featured: no dark markings in heads of michahellis. And some variation
>on fuscus.
>Other YLG pictures are:
>http://www.gencat.es/mediamb/rndelta/graf/idllof74.jpg
>http://www.gencat.es/mediamb/rndelta/graf/idllof75.jpg
>and another LBB picture at
>http://www.gencat.es/mediamb/rndelta/graf/idllof76.jpg where you can see
>different kinds of head streaking.
>
>Regarding Canary islands and Madeira/Azores atlantis, my experience is
>limited to the summer so I cannot say much about that.
>
>Hope this contributes
>
>Ricard Gutiérrez
>Rare Birds in Spain
>http://www.terra.es/personal3/gutarb
>5.12.2000
>
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Review of 1st North American Gull Conference
From: Angus Wilson <wilsoa02(AT)ENDEAVOR.MED.NYU.EDU>
Date: 5 Dec 2000 6:58pm
I have put together a few video stills taken during the recent North
American Gull conference held in Niagara Ontario and hosted by 'Birders
Journal' magazine. I realize that a good number of regular gull
commentators from this list could not attend the meeting and thought you
might be interested in knowing how things went.
The URL is:
http://www.best.com/~petrel/NAGC.html
Hope this light-hearted (and brief) meeting report encourages even more
people to attend the next meeting when-ever and where-ever it may be!
Cheers, Angus Wilson
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Re: Easton, PA Mystery Gull
From: Dick Newell <Dick.Newell(AT)SMALLWORLD.CO.UK>
Date: 6 Dec 2000 2:37am
Norman said:
"Should this bird be seen here in The Netherlands we would consider it a
Herring Gull belonging to the North European race L. a. argentatus!"
... and someone else had suggested argentatus as a possibility as well.
We get a lot of argentatus Herring Gulls here in Cambridge UK - but
yellow-legged ones are rather rare, I would say scarcer than all the other
semi-rare gulls that we get.
The very few that I have seen are not particularly dark and therefore one
wonders if they originated from further east e.g. Finland.
If you look at the study reported in:
http://www.gla.ac.uk/~gbza22/scand1.html
out of thousands of Herring Gulls, including many argentatus, caught in the
north of England, they did not find a single one with yellow legs.
So I think we can forget argentatus for the PA mystery gull.
Dick Newell
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Re: Easton, PA Mystery Gull
From: "Robert H. Lewis" <lewis(AT)BWAY.NET>
Date: 6 Dec 2000 8:11am
on 12/6/00 4:41 AM, Dick Newell at Dick.Newell(AT)SMALLWORLD.CO.UK wrote:
> We get a lot of argentatus Herring Gulls here in Cambridge UK - but
> yellow-legged ones are rather rare, I would say scarcer than all the other
> semi-rare gulls that we get.
> The very few that I have seen are not particularly dark and therefore one
> wonders if they originated from further east e.g. Finland.
> If you look at the study reported in:
> http://www.gla.ac.uk/~gbza22/scand1.html
> out of thousands of Herring Gulls, including many argentatus, caught in the
> north of England, they did not find a single one with yellow legs.
That's a very interesting experimental result. But it brings up the
question, how exactly were these samples of thousands of Herring Gulls
obtained? Let me play devil's advocate: How do you select the Herring
Gulls and how do you know which birds are argentatus? Restricting the
discussion to adults (which is all we care about here), did the field
researchers go out with the express purpose to collect Herring Gulls? If so
they would perhaps (or probably) key in visually on mantle color. Then to
decide argentatus or argenteus they would I assume look at the primary
pattern as the definitive mark.
If that was the procedure, would not a bird like the Easton PA bird be
perhaps missed entirely because it was assumed to be a Lesser, and not even
caught? In that way the sample would be biased.
Actually, I would bet that the scientists in Britain use better sampling
methods!
As to this particular bird, I agree with others that the most likely
explanation is pale Lesser. The photo
http://www.fordham.edu/lewis/birds/easton/easton6.jpg looks especially like
a Lesser.
Bob Lewis
Sleepy Hollow NY
http://www.bway.net/~lewis/birds/gulls.html
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Re: Easton, PA Mystery Gull
From: Katrina Knight <kknight(AT)EPIX.NET>
Date: 6 Dec 2000 8:35am
Dick Newell said:
>We get a lot of argentatus Herring Gulls here in Cambridge UK - but
>yellow-legged ones are rather rare, I would say scarcer than all the
>other
>semi-rare gulls that we get. The very few that I have seen are not
>particularly dark
One thing that people need to remember, which may not have been made
clear, is that the photos look darker than the bird in question. The
mantle color is not much darker than the Ring-billed and Herring Gulls
it is with. The color difference is noticable if you are looking for
it, but it doesn't jump out right away with a quick look. I don't
think ruling out a Herring Gull with yellow legs because they aren't
particularly dark works, because this bird is not incredibly dark.
--
Katrina Knight
kknight(AT)epix.net
Reading, PA
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: AW: INPUT NEEDED on POSSIBLE
Yellow-legged Gull
From: Jan Ole Kriegs <kriegs(AT)UNI-MUENSTER.DE>
Date: 6 Dec 2000 9:51am
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Dear Dave!
To me the gull looks more like a L.whatthehellis than a L.michahellis.
You are right the head looks very streaked. For a michahellis appearing in
the middle of Europe it would be very unusual. Also the head shape does not
fit. Our michahellis in most cases show a more or less distinct corner at
the hind head (not so round as in this bird) especially, when they have the
huge size of this bird.
The primary pattern does not really fit either. If I counted right the last
primary showing black is P5. This of course occurs in michahellis, but more
often there is half a black subterminal band /or a narrow "comma") on P4. On
pic "Mystery Gull-3" you can see a light "tongue" shining through P7 (bird´s
right wing)(and P6) just next to the proximal part of the feather´s black
tip. This has never been shown by any michahellis I´ve seen, but by many
argentatus and of course cachinnans. I do not know much about graellsii, but
I would believe it does not show this light tongue either...?!
The other features like mantle colour, leg colour and head streaking for me
fit good for argentatus, which do not show real yellow legs too rarely. I
can see nothing against argentatus, but I have no good experience with
graellsii and atlantis so maybe I´m wrong.
I have scanned a wing tip of michahellis from Germany for comparison.
Best wishes,
Jan Ole Kriegs
Münster, Germany
kriegs(AT)uni-muenster.de
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[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Re: Easton, PA Mystery Gull
From: Jennifer Hanson <ammodramus(AT)HOTMAIL.COM>
Date: 6 Dec 2000 10:54am
Hi Frontiers,
I like Jan Ole Kriegs' suggestion of "Larus whatthehellis" for the Easton
mystery gull. I may adopt that for future use in my field notes.
On a more serious note, I would echo Katrina Knight's comments about the
mantle color of the Easton gull as compared to the photos of it that have
been posted on the web. I don't know whether it's the light conditions when
the photos were taken, the scans, or a browser issue, but the photos look
distinctly darker than the actual bird to me. I asked the two people who
saw the bird with me what they thought and they agreed that the photos
looked dark.
Thanks to everyone who has expressed an opinion on the Easton bird.
Best regards and good birding,
Jennifer Hanson
Montclair, New Jersey USA
ammodramus(AT)hotmail.com
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Re: Easton, PA Mystery Gull
From: Brian Small <BrianJSmall(AT)AOL.COM>
Date: 6 Dec 2000 12:54pm
All
The phenomenon of the effect of sunlight on mantle tone of adult gulls is one
which is well known to anyone that watches gulls. Strong sunlight is not
very good for judging subtle differneces: whilst watching atlantis alongside
graellsii last winter, at times it was very difficult to tell them apart.
This is exaggerated when you then photograph them: try judging the difference
between cachinnans, barabensis and heuglini in photgraphs from Oman.
Brian Small
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Re: AW: INPUT NEEDED on POSSIBLE
Yellow-legged Gull
From: Steve Sosensky <Steve(AT)SOSENSKY.COM>
Date: 6 Dec 2000 1:03pm
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[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Re: Easton, PA Mystery Gull
From: norman van swelm <Norman.vanswelm(AT)WXS.NL>
Date: 6 Dec 2000 6:38pm
>Dick Newell said:
>>We get a lot of argentatus Herring Gulls here in Cambridge UK - but
>>yellow-legged ones are rather rare, I would say scarcer than all the
>>other
>>semi-rare gulls that we get. The very few that I have seen are not
>>particularly dark
>
Katrina Knight replied:
>One thing that people need to remember, which may not have been made
>clear, is that the photos look darker than the bird in question. The
>mantle color is not much darker than the Ring-billed and Herring Gulls
>it is with. The color difference is noticable if you are looking for
>it, but it doesn't jump out right away with a quick look. I don't
>think ruling out a Herring Gull with yellow legs because they aren't
>particularly dark works, because this bird is not incredibly dark.
>
The great Norwegian scientist Barth (1968. Nytt Mag.Zool. 15, suppl. 1-50)
dismissed the existence of 'omissus' by pointing at the occurrence of
yellow-legged individuals among Scandinavian Herring Gulls L.a.argentatus,
in some populations up to 100% have yellow legs. There is an excellent
account on this phenomenon in Alula 3/1998 by Lars Jonsson. Various authors
have suggested that this might be diet-related, others have suggested former
hybridisation f.i. with L.c.cachinnans. Even here in Western Europe we may
find yellow- or yellowish-legged L.argentatus argenteus though be it only
occasionally.
Dick is absolutely right that yellow-legged argentatus in the North Sea area
during winter are rare and when one turns up it always causes confusion.
Here L.a.argentatus is picked out by its slightly darker grey mantle than
L.a.argenteus, often named British Herring Gull though the type specimen is
Dutch! The mantle colour of L.a.argenteus is similar to L.a.smithonianus! So
Katrina's description above exactly matches the way we spot argentatus among
argenteus! Argenteus is on average somewhat smaller than argentatus which in
turn is similar in size to smithonianus. In winter when they are still
moulting the outer one or two primaries, they look shaggy and plump (like
the PA gull) in comparison to the neat argenteus.
L.a.argentatus from northern Norway can easily enter North America via New
Foundland as so many other seabirds do. These birds may show comparatively
little black in the outer five primaries and may even show a 'thayeri'
pattern (see Fig.11 in Jonsson, 1998). We recognised such an individual in
one of Bruce McTavish's photo's taken in New Foundland and published some
time ago in Birding World.
Bob Lewis suggested the PA bird could be graellsii. I have handled many
Lesser Black-backs but only once or twice have I trapped a bird approaching
the plumpness of the PA bird but they were always slightly darker mantled.
Hope this will help a bit.
Norman
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Re: Easton, PA Mystery Gull
From: Tony Leukering <GreatGrayO(AT)AOL.COM>
Date: 6 Dec 2000 6:55pm
----INCLUDING text/plain MIME SECTION----
In a message dated 12/6/2000 8:14:21 AM Mountain Standard Time,
lewis(AT)BWAY.NET writes:
> on 12/6/00 4:41 AM, Dick Newell at Dick.Newell(AT)SMALLWORLD.CO.UK wrote:
>
> > We get a lot of argentatus Herring Gulls here in Cambridge UK - but
> > yellow-legged ones are rather rare, I would say scarcer than all the other
> > semi-rare gulls that we get.
> > The very few that I have seen are not particularly dark and therefore one
> > wonders if they originated from further east e.g. Finland.
> > If you look at the study reported in:
> > http://www.gla.ac.uk/~gbza22/scand1.html
> > out of thousands of Herring Gulls, including many argentatus, caught in
> the
> > north of England, they did not find a single one with yellow legs.
>
> That's a very interesting experimental result. But it brings up the
> question, how exactly were these samples of thousands of Herring Gulls
> obtained? Let me play devil's advocate: How do you select the Herring
> Gulls and how do you know which birds are argentatus? Restricting the
> discussion to adults (which is all we care about here), did the field
> researchers go out with the express purpose to collect Herring Gulls? If so
> they would perhaps (or probably) key in visually on mantle color.
Hi all:
I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that Bob mis-understood Dick's
comments. The Brits don't do much collecting anymore and he specifically
mentioned the word "caught." Thus the birds were captured for "ringing."
One usually catches lots of gulls via rocket- or cannon-netting. This
technique is obviously very UN-selective, so the sample provided should
adequately represent the population (as long as certain obvious assumptions
are met, e.g., the sample population adequately represents the population as
a whole, as far as age, breeding source, behavior, etc.). I would concur
with Dick that the sample about which he speaks at least suggests that they
do not get much in the way of yellow-legged argentatus in that part of
Britain.
Tony Leukering
Brighton, CO
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[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Smithsonianus size
From: "James H. Barton" <redwing1986(AT)MEDIAONE.NET>
Date: 6 Dec 2000 7:09pm
Norman and friends, I've long assumed that "American" Herring Gull,
L.a. smithsonianus, was the largest of the HG groups. Maybe I've been
wrong all this time. Could someone spell out the size differences
between nominate argentatus, "British" Herring Gull L. a. argenteus, and
"American", smithsonianus?
Thanks.
Jim Barton
redwing1986(AT)mediaone.net
Cambridge, MA
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Thayermlien's Gull?
From: Phil Pickering <philliplc(AT)HARBORSIDE.COM>
Date: 7 Dec 2000 12:16am
For those interested in the Thayer's/Kumlien's complex -
On Dec. 1 this year I was able to take a few photos of a very
cooperative hy gull on the central Oregon coast that appears to
be one of those pale-end Thayer's showing marks that some
interpret as signs of intergradation/introgression with Kumlien's
Iceland. These include faint but extensive fine barring throughout
most of the tail, dark spots near the primary tips, and an exceptional
amount of pale in what I presume on this date would still be the
juvenile scapulars. The patterning to the tertials appears to be within
the range of Thayer's, but the solid bases to the lower tertails appear
a quite pale coffee/cream color, and are noticeably paler than the
dark areas of their patterned tips. Proportionately it seemed typical
for Thayer's, and did not seem exceptionally small. I was not able to
get a spread wing shot.
http://www.harborside.com/~philliplc/th001.jpg
http://www.harborside.com/~philliplc/th002.jpg
http://www.harborside.com/~philliplc/th003.jpg
I'm not sure this adds anything to the debate, or that this is anything
more than a very pale Thayer's (there is some obvious wear), but I
thought the close-ups might be worth posting for those interested
in this complex. Having never seen a Kumlien's I have no perspective,
so would appreciate any comments.
Cheers,
Phil Pickering
Lincoln City, Oregon
philliplc(AT)harborside.com
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Re: Easton, PA Mystery Gull
From: Dick Newell <Dick.Newell(AT)SMALLWORLD.CO.UK>
Date: 7 Dec 2000 3:25am
One other thought for those thinking this bird could be argentatus is the
latitude. Is not PA about 40 degrees north? This is way further south than
argentatus gets in Europe.
Dick
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Re: Smithsonianus size
From: norman van swelm <Norman.vanswelm(AT)WXS.NL>
Date: 7 Dec 2000 4:58am
Jim Barton wrote > Norman and friends, I've long assumed that "American"
Herring Gull,
>L.a. smithsonianus, was the largest of the HG groups. Maybe I've been
>wrong all this time. Could someone spell out the size differences
>between nominate argentatus, "British" Herring Gull L. a. argenteus, and
>"American", smithsonianus?
L.a.argenteus is no doubt the smallest (on average!) but there is not much
difference between L.a.argentatus L.a.smithonianus. I suggest you look up
Barth's work as it is by far the best. There is however much overlap and
there are considerable size differences between the sexes.
It is high time that we get some fresh measurements from the US (from live
birds please) and while you are at it don't forget to colour-ring them!
Norman
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Re: Easton, PA Mystery Gull
From: Daniela & Detlef Gruber <Daniela.Detlef.Gruber(AT)T-ONLINE.DE>
Date: 7 Dec 2000 1:03pm
Dear Birders,
There are now quite many arguments that the Easton, PA Mystery Gull is
NOT a Yellow-legged Gull of any subspecies. And the same is with
Larus graellsii.
When looking at the photos it reminds me strongly that this gull is NOT of
Western Palearctic origin. This is mainly judging on jizz (bulky impression)
and the clouded head and especially the blotchy breast sides. This combination
fits NOT the nominate argentatus but smithsonianus. I remember some years ago
on a photo of a 'Yellow-legged Herring Gull' depicted in Birders Journal.
To that time I was in discussion with some people about the possibility that
this gull might be a so-called "omissus". Today the question should be,
are there small numbers of smithsonianus (a bit darker and with
yellowish legs) that resemble our European "omissus" phenotype?
Apart from this open question it still remains the possibility that this
gull is a hybrid smithsonianus x ?
All the best,
Detlef Gruber
GERMANY
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Home page update
From: "Jerry R. Oldenettel" <Borealowl(AT)AOL.COM>
Date: 7 Dec 2000 2:00pm
Hello, everyone. I have updated my home page at:
http://hometown.aol.com/borealowl/
to include my Fall, 2000 season report, minor additions to my Favorites page,
and a new feature including my Luis Lopez, NM yard list.
You are all welcome to peruse and comment.
Jerry R. Oldenettel
Albuquerque, NM
borealowl(AT)aol.com
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Mystery Gull Update
From: Dave DeReamus <becard(AT)FAST.NET>
Date: 8 Dec 2000 1:20am
Hi all,
Now that the amount of E-mail has finally slowed down to 'several' instead
of 'dozens', I just wanted to give a quick update on the "dark-mantled gull
with the yellow legs" that's being seen in Easton, Northampton County,
Pennsylvania.
I have been (somewhat happily) bombarded by E-mails about this bird, the
Hammond's Flycatcher, and the Rufous Hummingbird that have been in our area;
so it's going to take me a good, long while to properly digest everything.
So far, I have received E-mails from Germany, Ireland, Belgium, Spain, the
Netherlands, several from England, and, of course, many from the U.S. This
makes me realize how amazing and helpful the internet can be at times.
Thanks to EVERYONE who has tried to help out with the identification of this
bird.
SPECULATION (educated guesses) as to the identification from the
not-so-great photos include the following:
(2) votes for a very pale Lesser Black-backed Gull;
(1) vote for some sort of Herring x ????? hybrid;
(5) votes for 'argentatus' Herring Gull;
(1) vote for Herring x Lesser Black-backed hybrid;
(1) vote for 'atlantic' Yellow-legged Gull;
(1) vote for 'yellow-legged' Vega Gull;
and MANY votes for 'unidentified' gull-----now there's a surprise!
ALMOST EVERYONE who responded (either after seeing the bird or checking out
the photos) believes that this bird is NOT a true Yellow-legged Gull.
Luckily, I will not have to be bothered by lawyers asking for recounts when
the votes are all in. Does anyone have a dartboard with pictures of gulls
on it?
Good birding,
Dave DeReamus
'Eastern PA Birdline' Compiler
Easton, PA
becard(AT)fast.net
Remember that birds can't read range maps!
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Re: Easton, PA Mystery Gull
From: Nick Rossiter <nrossiter(AT)SUPANET.COM>
Date: 8 Dec 2000 1:56am
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----INCLUDING text/plain MIME SECTION----
Good morning, gull fans (and others!).
I'm not sure that we've eliminated YLG in the broader sense. Most id =
papers only deal in depth with Mediterranean michahellis and nominate =
cachinnans. The diverse populations in the Atlantic, comprising some =
80,000 pairs, also need to be brought into play.=20
Weaknesses for Mediterranean michahellis in the mystery gull appear to =
be 1) :period of moult, 2) extensive blotching on head, neck and sides =
of breast, 3) rounded head shape, 4) bluish tinge to mantle, 5) pale =
inner web on part of P7, 6) no mark on P4. Good points are the bill =
shape, large red gonydal spot, the darkish mantle shade, the yellow =
legs, the red orbital ring and the extensive amount of black on the =
wingtip.
Looking at the weaknesses, features 3), 4) and 6) ARE found in many =
Atlantic populations and 5) is a feature found in many Atlantic Iberian =
birds and to a lesser extent elsewhere. You can see these features in my =
photos of YLG at Setubal in Portugal at =
http://www.nrossiter.supanet.com/ylg/ (2 shots under adults, one under =
2nd year).=20
So that leaves 1) and 2).. For 2) Bermejo (1999) reports for Atlantic =
Iberian YLG::
"the head is streaked to the nape, especially around the eyes, crown, =
nape and neck. This streaking is denser and stronger than winter adults =
of Mediterranean michahellis but less than in graellsii. The streaking =
disperses earlier in Mediterranean Yellow-legged Gulls than in =
Yellow-legs from Atlantic Iberia, where it may persist until January or =
February". Bermejo does not mention blotches on the side of the breast =
but the YLG here appear to be at least as heavily marked as in the =
Azores. There is also the possibility that the bird is fourth-winter.
For 1), I studied the YLG well south in Las Palmas (Canaries) at the end =
of September this year. All old primaries had been shed and birds were =
in varying stages of growing P9 and P10, a few being more retarded than =
the mystery gull. In Iberia the moult occurs a few weeks later so this =
bird is not desperately out of synchronization if it comes from there. =
The Atlantic crossing may also have affected the timing of its moult.=20
All the strong points for YLG above (bill shape, large red gonydal spot, =
the darkish mantle shade, the yellow legs, the red orbital ring and the =
extensive amount of black on the wingtip) are also found in Atlantic YLG =
at least in southern Portugal, Morocco and the Canaries. Interestingly =
Portugal is on the same latitude as Pennsylvania. No mirror apparently =
on P9 and the short legs also appear to favour an Atlantic YLG of some =
kind.
Kind regards... Nick Rossiter
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Subject: Merlin tail patterns
From: Will and Beth Russell <russell(AT)RTD.COM>
Date: 8 Dec 2000 8:11am
A few days ago in southeast Arizona's Sulphur Springs Valley, I watched
an adult male Merlin at close range. In most respects it seemed like a
typical "richardsonii" or Prairie Merlin with a pale blue back, a pale
face without visible mustache marks and relatively sparse, mostly rusty
breast and flank streakings...and a very dark tail with three or four
narrow but strikingly white bands (as striking as the tail pattern of
California Red-shouldered Hawk, "elegans").
Clark and Wheeler (Peterson Field Guide Series) and the Sibley guide
illustrate Prairie Merlin with a gray tail with broad dark bands but
Wheeler and Clark (A Photographic Guide to North American Raptors,
Academic Press) have several photos of birds labeled adult male Prairie
Merlin which appear to show a tail much like I saw; indeed they have no
photos at all of birds with gray, broadly banded black, tails.
Where are the Merlins (Prairie or otherwise) with gray tails broadly
banded black? Does anyone know anything about variation in (adult male)
Merlin tail pattern?
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