This morning at Craney Island in Portsmouth, Va., I found a strange immature
gull. The bird is much smaller than a Herring Gull, about the size of a
Ring-bill. The head, neck and breast, and mantle are all a uniform,
unpatterned, very, dark sooty brown, making it appear black at a distance in
some lights. The remiges are darker still, approaching black. The tail is
uniform blackish, with no banding evident. The eye is dark. The bill is
slimmer than a Herring Gull. Overall, the bill appears dark at first, but
up close shows only the outer third of the upper bill and the outer half of
the lower bill to be black, with the inner portion of the bill being a
lighter muddy color with a faint pinkish cast. The legs appear blackish.
In flight, the bird appeared rather uniform dark brown, with the only
pattern discernable being the darker tail and remiges.
The bird was first spotted along the east side, on the beach area near the
rock jetty towards the south end. It was in the company of Great Black
Backs, Herring, and Ring-bills. It later flew up to the northeast corner of
the south impoundment where the dredge outflow pipe is pumping dredge
material into the impoundment. It rested on a dirt mound here and allowed
me to approach within 20 feet inside my car. I took a few photos, but I
haven't had a chance to develop them yet.
Any suggestions on identity?
David Clark
Norfolk, VA.
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