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Posted by John Boyd on 19:37:22 01/02/06
In Reply to: Crandon Park 1/2/06- absent shorebirds, weird gull, cool duckies posted by Alex Harper
I sometimes think that with large gulls, each individual looks a bit different.
This bird appears to be a 3rd-winter LBB Gull, with the tail pattern you described nailing down the age. Although the norm is for the legs to turn yellow by 2nd winter, it is not that unusual for it to happen later. Even a general guidebook such as Sibley notes that "most" have yellow legs by 3rd winter, not "all". Like the legs, the bill seems to be slow to change color, but again within normal variation.
: A very interesting dark-mantled gull was hanging out with some Ring-billed Gulls near the northernmost lifeguard shelter. I sat down to photograph it certain it was a Lesser Black-backed Gull. However, what caught me by surprise it had dull pink legs and the upper mandible was mostly black (tip was yellow) and the lower mandible was mostly pink, with a yellow tip and black in between. There is no/little trace of red on the lower mandible. It did have a fair amount of brown streaking on the head and nape. I'm sure this must be a third-winter Lesser Black-backed, but even second-winters start to obtain yellowish legs. Then, wouldn't you know it, a beachcomber walks straight towards "my" gull and scares it off, even though it's obvious I'm on all fours trying to photograph it. As it flew off somewhere down the beach, I saw a small trace of brown on the tail.
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