[TN-Bird] Re: POSSIBLE 1st-cycle Iceland Gull at the Middlepoint Landfill

  • From: Kevin Breault <Kevin.Breault@xxxxxxxx>
  • To: "tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Tue, 3 Feb 2015 23:46:56 +0000

Chloe says the bird was just a bit bigger than the Ring-bills and so 
Iceland--Glaucous would be 60% greater.
KB
________________________________
From: tn-bird-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [tn-bird-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] on behalf of 
Kevin Breault [Kevin.Breault@xxxxxxxx]
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2015 4:59 PM
To: dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx; tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [TN-Bird] Re: POSSIBLE 1st-cycle Iceland Gull at the Middlepoint 
Landfill

Description sounds like a Glaucous--pink bill with black, bigger than Iceland. 
Are there Herrings in the pictures? Glaucous would be bigger, Iceland smaller. 
Glaucous also just looks heavy, Iceland more slight. "Size was close to a 
Herring..." might also suggest Glaucous--Glaucous is more similar in size to 
Herring.
Kevin Breault
Brentwood, TN
________________________________
From: tn-bird-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [tn-bird-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] on behalf of 
Chloe Walker [dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2015 4:17 PM
To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [TN-Bird] POSSIBLE 1st-cycle Iceland Gull at the Middlepoint Landfill


2-3-15

So after spotting the Ross's Goose at the V.A. Pond, we stopped by the 
Middlepoint Landfill in Murfreesboro (Rutherford County). We both scanned the 
thousands of gulls for a few minutes, hoping for something interesting, until I 
spotted a completely white gull perched with Ring-bills. My heart stopped. 
Unfortunately the bird was too distant to get a really good look and study it 
in detail, but my brother and I both knew it was either an aberrant Herring 
Gull, Iceland Gull, or Glaucous Gull. Eventually the whole group, including our 
mystery gull, took off and circled for a few minutes. I figured we wouldn't be 
able to re-find the bird, but incredibly my brother found it once again, this 
time circling right over us. I got my camera out and was able to take some poor 
flight shots. For whatever reason my email won't allow me to send a post with 
photos through TN-bird, but if you are interested in seeing the photos and 
giving your two cents, you can shoot me an email.

Here's a brief description: As I mentioned, this bird is basically white, but 
photos revealed a dirty brownish color also. The legs were pink, but I have no 
idea what to say about the bill. In some of my photos it looks pinkish, others 
pinkish with a dark tip, and a couple with a completely dark bill and a pink 
base. This bird had obvious translucent white primaries and secondaries. The 
undertail coverts show faint dark barring. Size was close to a Herring Gull. 
That's pretty much the best description I can give.

I sent the photos to Chris Sloan and Mike Todd, and so far the bird looks good 
for a 1st-cycle Iceland Gull, but it's hard to tell. Re-finding this gull will 
be like finding a needle in a haystack, but it's certainly worth a shot. 
Fingers crossed...

Good birding,

Chloe Walker
Murfreesboro, TN

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