[mou] Clay Co possible California Gulls

[patrick.beauzay@ndsu.edu]

Hello all,

I would have posted this sooner, but I’ve spent all afternoon and evening
at a south Fargo residence waiting for a white-winged dove to reappear at
a neighborhood feeder.  Unfortunately, it did not return but hopefully
will in the days to come.  Now on to the gull:

I found a pair of what I have identified as 1st summer California gulls in
a large area of standing water in a hayfield about 2 miles east of
Bluestem Prairie SNA on 17th street.  This is about one-and-a-half miles
north of the Clay County sanitary landfill.  They were in a flock of about
40 ring-billed gulls.  My experience with identifying immature gulls is
limited, so if anyone has any comments on the identity of these birds, I’d
be happy to hear it!  Here’s the description from my field notes:

Size:  noticeably larger than the ring-billed gulls, but not overly so.
Head:  pale brown with distinct two-toned bill, the distal 1/4 to 1/3
black, the base light; eye dark.
Plumage: gray scapulars, noticeable but not very distinct.  Mantle, flanks
and back mottled to solid pale brown (no visible barring).  Breast pale
brown.  Neck pale white in front to pale brown lower towards the breast. 
Primaries very dark without any indication of white tips, greater coverts
dark but lighter than primaries and tipped with white.
Legs: pink

The birds just stood there in the rain preening themselves and never took
flight.  I watched them for about fifteen minutes and then moved on.

I’ve checked field guides, books and on-line resources and this is the
closest match I can find.  1st summer herring gull appears to have a paler
head and much lighter primaries and coverts.  2nd winter herring gull is
also somewhat similar, but it seems to me that this is the wrong time of
year for that plumage condition.

Good Birding!

Pat

Patrick Beauzay
Department of Entomology
217 Hultz Hall, Bolley Drive
North Dakota State University
Fargo, ND 58105
701-231-9491
Patrick.Beauzay@ndsu.nodak.edu

http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/entomology/
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