[mou] Black Dog L. gulls

[Bruce Fall]

Over the past weekend (11-26, 11-27) gulls at Black Dog Lake (Dakota  
Co.) included: adult Lesser Black-backed Gull (probably the same bird  
seen occasionally earlier this month at L. Calhoun); adult Franklin's  
Gull (ditto); and several Thayer's Gulls (at least 5 on 11-26: 3  
adults, 1st & 2nd winter). On 11-25 there was an interesting  
partially (and asymmetrically) leucistic adult Ring-billed Gull at  
Black Dog (west end, river). Primaries on the gull's right wing  
lacked any black (all very pale gray / white) and the wing appeared  
superficially similar to that of an Iceland Gull. The left wing was  
similar but had normal black on primaries 7-8. Coverts/mantle were  
variegated--partly normal gray, partly pale gray. The rest of the  
plumage and soft part colors were normal. Also, the Ross's Goose was  
still present on L. Hiawatha (Minneapolis) on 11-27, even though the  
lake was mostly frozen.

Bruce A. Fall, Minneapolis