[obol] Re: UNUSUAL GULL AT MALHEUR = leucistic heron!
- From: David Bailey <davidcbaileyoregon@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: "obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2014 22:15:37 -0700
1. A reminder: please don't attach photos to OBOL messages as they can not
be easily accessed by all (and we all make mistakes sometimes...).
2. Here is a link to the "UNUSUAL GULL" photo (which I found by going
directly to the Freelists site for OBOL (
//www.freelists.org/archive/obol/recent)):
//www.freelists.org/archives/obol/06-2014/jpgf38RaNjD2_.jpg
3. Harry, thanks so much for taking and alerting us to this unusual
sighting. The bird is in fact not a gull at all, though if it was,
Glaucous-winged Gull would be a good guess. Note the long legs and toes
projecting beyond the tail; the large head and large dusky bill and the
very large red eye. What you saw was a BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON. It would
appear that the bird has a mutation affecting the normal pigment expression
for the species. The overall frosted look is what is referred to as
leucism. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leucism). Note the ghost of the
dark black crown of the bird in your picture.
4. Indeed you did see a very rare bird! The species is common, but the
plumage you saw is one of kind.
5. Those seeking an id challenge will want to check their field guides to
see why this is not a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron; a species that will one
day be found in Oregon. Note the extension of the toes beyond the tail in
Harry's photo. If this were a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, the legs would
also project beyond the tail along with the toes.
Respectfully,
David
Manzanita, Oregon for the summer.
*Subject: UNUSUAL GULL AT MALHEUR*
Date: Mon Jun 23 2014 22:41 pm
From: atowhee AT gmail.com
i WAS BIRDING AROUND MALHEUR JUNE 20-21...AND THIS PICTURE WAS AMONG THOSE
I JUST GOT TO LOOK AT TODAY...GLAUCOUS-WINGED SEEMS TO BE THE ONLY RATIONAL
CONCLUSION:
--
Harry Fuller
author of FREEWAY BIRDING, see: *freewaybirding.com
*
Atowhee@gmail
http://www.towhee.net
my birding blog: atowhee.wordpress.com
Other related posts:
