Right -
I did not comment on the eye ring because I could not see those details in the
photos. A caveat about eyerings: like colors of other soft parts on gulls, eye
ring color is influenced by hormones, and varies a lot in brightness through
the year. Thus, a gull that has bright pink, red, or purple eye ring in
breeding season might have a ring that is whitish, with just a tinge of the
color in mid-winter.
Wayne
From: "5hats@xxxxxxxx" <5hats@xxxxxxxx>
To: "obol" <obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, February 28, 2016 9:26:37 PM
Subject: [obol] another id point for Slaty-backed Gull
that is often overlooked..... At close range, the orbital ring (the flesh
encircling the eye) on Slaty-backed Gull is red, and basically round. That on
Western is bright orange-yellow, and tends to have a teardrop shaped extension
at the back of the eye. The teardrop shaped extension is similar in shape to
that of the eye-ring on Pacific-slope Flycatcher. It does require a close range
( or exceptionally good scope) view to see this feature,. but the difference,
if well seen, is obvious.
Darrel
