Posted by Bill Elrick on February 09, 2004 at 20:34:36:
In Reply to: _intermedius_ Lesser Black-backed Gull posted by Bill Pranty on February 09, 2004 at 20:09:51:
Thanks for that Bill.
I was beginning to think I had found a rather ho hum bird for down there. Can you point me toward a link on the occurrence of this particular sub-species in this area?
Those photos were taken thru my digital & bino's hand held. I had a problem of trying to go on a weekend vacation without birding and then not having the books to back up the sighting and then only able to view the bird on the small digital screen, The bird is/was very co-operative and I am sure it will come down for food?
Do you need me to send any back up info on this bird?
What got me was it had a very dark back and a very white head. The photos were taken on two windy day’s and the bird was more inclined to look slimmer in the wind than it did the first day. I noticed the Epson site was down almost all day so if anyone tried earlier and could not see it, try again now. This bird is just north of the Ritz Carlton and around the Lilac colored Life guard station.
http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/ViewPhoto?u=4159967&a=31094799&p=66840517&f=0
Bill Elrick
NJ
: Hi Bill,
: I agree that you seem to have an adult _intermedius_ Lesser Black-backed Gull. (I say "seem" because it's really difficult to be certain about gulls, as posts to ID-Frontiers attest).
: We don't get many _intermedius_ down here either; to my knowledge there are just a few documented records. Most birds are _graellsii_, as in the rest of the US.
: A good reference, with lots of color pix, is:
: Post, P.W., and R.H. Lewis. 1995. The Lesser Black-backed Gull in the Americas: occurrence and subspecific identity. Part 1: taxonomy, distribution, and migration. Birding 27: 282-290.
:
: Best regards,
: Bill Pranty
: Avon Park, Florida