Note that the wings are showing some of the white flash of the contrasting
primaries which the little gull would not have. This bird just down the
beach spread its wing a little more a bit ago.
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/159658784
My bird has grown fewer black feathers on the head. A little gull often
will molt a black cap which the Bonaparte's does not. Leg color can vary
with lighting and the last picture especially shows Bonaparte pink.
On Sat, Apr 11, 2015 at 3:59 PM, Brooke Nicotra <brookenicotra@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
I visited Boy Scout Woods on this date, but I found more people than birds.
However, one of the volunteers informed there had been a Little gull on the
beach just east of the highway in the closed part of the road. I found a
group of terns and gulls there and thought I had identified the Little
gull. However another birder told me that it was just another Bonaparte's
gull. Today I looked at my pictures from that day and I believe it was a
Little gull. It had bright orange-red legs like those of the
breeding-phase Forster's, a bill and head shape different from the
Bonapartes and a different tail and wing pattern.
The photos are at https://www.flickr.com/photos/132408236@N07/
I would be interested in feedback.
--
Brooke Nicotra
Kingwood, Texas, USA
Edit your Freelists account settings for TEXBIRDS at
//www.freelists.org/list/texbirds
Reposting of traffic from TEXBIRDS is prohibited without seeking permission
from the List Owner
