[texbirds] Western Gull Austin
- From: Kenny Anderson <kennya290@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Fred (Commissioner Pct. 3) Collins" <Fred_Collins@xxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 17 Jul 2013 15:14:26 -0500
I broke one of my own rules including the Western Gull in my Austin Area
RBA summary, never publish 2nd hand reports. I am only kind-of regretting
breaking it. This is the best sighting in my two-year stint as compiler,
and I chose to include it because the core of what Travis Audubon's RBA
purpose is to alert people what is being seen in the 60 mile circle.
The Austin RBA isn't a permanent ornithological record, and so it was my
wish to notify people who could be out looking for the gull. I do not know
who found the gull, but I was privy to see one decent photograph. I have
been asked not to pass it on and that is what I intend to follow. So, it
seemed like a folly not to relay what I had, what I could share.
Here is my description of the photo:
The photo shows an adult, dark mantled gull with pink legs and feet. The
white on the face is clean, including the area around the eye. White on
head clean including crown. The white on the nape is clean and unstreaked.
Yellow, heavy, drooping bill with red spot on lower mandible. Head
shape/crown peak consistent with Western. Scale and proportion look better
for Western than Greater Black-backed Gull. It is my opinion that the
lighter mantle (note this is relative to dark-mantled gulls), darker eye
would suggest the northern population. I may be over-reaching my skill on
source of population.
I am no gull expert; thankfully several that are have reviewed and. as far
as I have heard, all like Western Gull. I have heard that the bird will be
submitted to TBRC and then we can all take a look.
My intention was to give folks a chance at re-finding this bird. It seems
it may have left the area- all reports since the initial July 8 sighting
have been negative. Apologies for contributing to any mystery; it is what
I could do.
Kenny Anderson
Austin
On Wed, Jul 17, 2013 at 12:49 PM, Collins, Fred (Commissioner Pct. 3) <
Fred_Collins@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Thanks Eric, we were all curious about the lack of detail, yet it went out
> on the Austin RBA which means it was very likely a sighting with above
> average substance. Was it an adult or an immature? Could you determine what
> cycle. A one day wonder gull in central Texas is curious too.
>
>
> Fred Collins
> (281) 357-5324
> Director: Kleb Woods Nature Center
> Cypress Top Historical Park
> Commissioner Steve Radack
> Harris County Precinct 3
> www.pct3.hctx.net
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: texbirds-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:texbirds-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
> On Behalf Of Eric Carpenter
> Sent: Wednesday, July 17, 2013 10:00 AM
> To: johnribble@xxxxxxx
> Cc: Graham Floyd; Texbirds
> Subject: [texbirds] Re: Mysterious Gull in Austin
>
> It is really much more simple than that. A non-birder photo'ed an adult
> dark-backed gull from his boat on Lake Austin near Tom Miller Dam on July
> 7th. The non-birder and a non-Austin birder canvassed the area via boat
> the next day (July 8th) for several hours and found no sign of it. I heard
> about the bird from somebody else later that afternoon and received a photo
> of it third hand and let Kenny and a few others know (who I felt were the
> best candidates to actual go look for it). We looked for it later that
> afternoon and then Kenny has canvassed the area several times as well since
> that time and there's been zero sign of it. The bird in the photo that was
> sent to me certainly looks like an adult Western Gull.
>
> I'm unclear what the mystery is nor why Graham didn't just ask whoever he
> heard about the bird from for more details directly. I don't have many
> more details than that. Had Kenny or I or anybody refound the bird, you
> can be sure that there would have been better communication about it. It
> was a one-day wonder that is probably long gone unfortunately.
>
> -- Eric
>
> --
> Eric Carpenter
> Austin
>
> On Tue, Jul 16, 2013 at 4:47 PM, John Ribble <johnribble@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> > Dear Graham,
> > I don't know what happened to the gull but I can think of
> several scenarios.
> > 1. Someone of ornithological bent, who doesn't care whether
> birders see birds, saw and identified(maybe) the bird and photographed it.
> The picture and possibly the specimen will be part of a paper to be
> published later. Be on the lookout for it in print and collections.
> > 2. Come to think of it the others are too preposterous to even
> mention.
> > I do know that a number of people have looked for the bird and
> not found it. I do not understand why people would want to keep others from
> seeing the bird. Maybe it's caged.
> > John Ribble
> > Austin, TX
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > On Jul 16, 2013, at 10:06 AM, Graham Floyd <spcgraham.floyd@xxxxxxxxx>
> wrote:
> >
> >> Texbirders,
> >> I know a few of us are interested in this report of a Western Gull in
> >> the Austin area. Does anyone have any specifics?
> >>
> >> Graham Floyd,
> >> San Antonio, TX
> >>
> >>
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>
>
> --
> Eric Carpenter
> Austin
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