No comment on Suttle Lake as Thayer's, but I don't believe Hood River needs
to be marked as Thayer's x Kumlien's. All Kumlien's look fine to me.
https://ebird.org/checklist/S96426659 2nd & 4th photos
and then see
http://birdingnewfoundland.blogspot.com/2019/01/kumliens-iceland-gulls-in-stjohns.html
3rd gull down and others.
Bob OBrien Carver OR
On Sun, Oct 24, 2021 at 7:18 PM Phil Pickering <philliplc@xxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
I don't think the distant photos capture diagnostic features
but descriptions sound good, and it certainly looks slight
enough for Thayer's. Lighting/backlighting and angle
of view can play tricks with apparent wing pattern
particularly from a distance, so I suspect it's not too
useful to analyze that in these shots. I actually do like
the visible narrow white terminal tail band more for
Thayer's than Herring.
Couple other notes, 1st cycle Thayer's sometimes do show
a noticeable pale inner primary window at certain angles.
It just tends not to contrast with the outers quite as much
as in Herring.
Also regarding a comment in one of the checklists, many
1st cycle (northern) Herrings here on the west coast retain
complete juvenile scaps through Oct. or later. So lack
of scapular molt at this time isn't quite as big of a clue here
as it might be in the Midwest in areas where 1st cycle Herrings
hatched at lower latitudes predominate.
Cheers, Phil
-----------------------------------------
From: "larspernorgren"
To: "OBOL"
Cc:
Sent: Sunday October 24 2021 11:13:18AM
Subject: [obol] Suttle Lake Larus
The dark underside to the primaries and prominent light field on the upper
inner primaries indicate Herring Gull to me. But hopefully Phil can chime
in. HEGU in our part of North America tend to be crazy dark as hatchyear
birds. But elsewhere they are much paler. There is a major movement of
Thayer's Gull right now.
