Among the usual group of ring bills this morning was what I believe to be a
first winter California gull. The bird was perched on a piece of wood near
the edge of the water and remained there for some time.
I don't consider myself a gull expert so I will provide a description:
Medium brown back, not heavily checked or barred
Size larger than ring-bill, smaller than herring gull
Pink legs
Longish pink bill with dark tip
Mostly light head and face, brownish around the eye
Dark eye
Compared to the illustration in Sibley, the bird seemed almost identical
even in small details except that the greater coverts were not as dark as in
Sibley.
