[mou] Adult Thayer's Gull, Wabasha County

[Dedrick Benz]

At about 11:30AM Tuesday, an adult Thayer's Gull drifted by me at a pulloff 
along Hwy 61.  South of Lake City, there are a series of pulloffs 
overlooking Lake Pepin, and a couple just 'downriver' of Lake Pepin.  This 
was the southernmost pulloff, just south of the pulloff closed for 
construction.

I was lamenting how most of the gull were either too distant, or loafing on 
Wisconsin sandbars, when this bird came closer than 30m away.  The underwing 
caught my eye (a narrow line of black along the outer edge of the outer 
primary, and along the trailing edge of the outer primaries), and thankfully 
the bird banked, and showed crisp black lines on othe outer web of the outer 
3 or 4 primaries.

I am always in awe of the number of gulls on Lake Pepin, but unfortunately 
they spend most of their time far out, and it is a difficult lake to 'work.' 
  You just have to get lucky.  A highly underbirded spot.

Dedrick Benz
Winona, MN