Tracy, the bird appears to me to be a pretty classic Iceland Gull. A Glaucous
would be large and bulky, appearing more massive than a Herring Gull (I think
you had that switched around.) The bill would be big and heavy. Your gull
looks more "delicate" and smaller than a Herring Gull to my eyes in the photos.
I'm also with Tom in that the head appears too rounded to be a Glaucous.
They're kind of "block-headed" (I can relate.) I also think I see a bit of
gray in the primary tips, although that could be an artifact in some of the
photos.
My two cents (and worth that much.)
Peter Fissel
Madison WI
________________________________
From: wisbirdn-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <wisbirdn-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> on behalf
of tracy chiconas <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2018 6:08 PM
To: tcwood729@xxxxxxxxx; Wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [wisb] Re: Glaucous Gull at McKinley Beach
Thank you for your thoughts Tom! .. & i hear you on the bill lol. I spent a lot
of time looking into that last night & i could not find any images or mention
of this darker bill. All information i saw indicated a crisp definition in the
bi-color. Thank you for the information about the primary extension, i will
definitely look into that. I also did not think the head shape or bill shape
fit i g. I will be looking into this more after work tomorrow.
I have uploaded more photos of the gull to flickr. There is a group of photos i
struggled with whether or not to upload. I walked past the gulls, took some
pics, then decided to go back & to the other side of them. Only when i was
there did i first notice the gull in question; so i did not keep my eye on it
as i walked back as i was not aware of it yet. So i can not be absolutely sure
that group of photos has the gull in question. When i went to the other side of
the feeding gulls to watch & photograph i did not notice any other light gulls.
I guess i would say if the "arrow pics" (i drew a small arrow pointing to gull)
conflict with what one sees in the other pics, disregard them.
Also, for the most part the gull was by it's self (when i first noticed it) & i
recall it being aprox. Herring Gull size, but it the pics it seems smaller.
Someone told me about r gull size would be g g & about h gull size would be i
g. When you have a moment, please look at the pics with out the arrows & see if
you have an opinion on the gull size.
https://flic.kr/s/aHsky5WYyL
thanks again!
- Tracy Chiconas
Milwaukee Co. Eastside/Downtown
tchiconas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
On Wednesday, March 21, 2018 11:29 AM, Tom Wood <tcwood729@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I am certainly not a gull expert, and Iceland vs. Glaucous Gull is a known
difficult separation, but my feeling on this bird is that it is an Iceland Gull.
My reasons are:
1. The top photo shows a very long primary extension beyond the tail which I
think exceeds the extension expected on a Glaucous Gull.
2. I judge this to be a first cycle bird since there are no gray feathers
appearing on the back. A first cycle Glaucous Gull should have a sharply
bi-colored bill; the bill on this bird has some paleness at the base which is
typical of some Iceland Gulls, but I have never seen this color bill on a
Glaucous Gull.
3. The head on this bird seems nicely rounded. Although shape can be deceptive
and affected by the bird's activity, I think a Glaucous Gull would have a more
flattened crown.
These are just my thoughts and I have messed up the ID on the two species in
question before. It is easier when size comparison to a known species, i.e.,
Herring Gull can be made, but that is not available to us now.
For anyone who is interested or can offer a more expert opinion, the link to
Tracy's checklist is:
https://ebird.org/wi/view/checklist/S43817587
Thomas Wood, Menomonee Falls, Waukesha County
-----Original Message-----
From: wisbirdn-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:wisbirdn-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On ;
Behalf Of tracy chiconas (Redacted sender "tchiconas" for DMARC)
Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2018 10:44 AM
To: wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [wisb] Glaucous Gull at McKinley Beach
Hi
I just wanted to let people know about the gull i initially reported on my
checklist from yesterday as a Glaucous-winged Gull in case anyone else is aware
of the misidentification. I am pretty inexperienced in gull ID-ing & did not
know a GWG was rare to the area, so when i was researching it i was not biased
one way or the other. Only when i went to fill out my checklist did i see it
was rare. With the information i came across last night i felt confident enough
to continue to report it as a GWG. After i woke up this morning i went back
over the photos & more info on the web & felt that this was in fact a GG &
changed my checklist to reflect that. I added my observations to the checklist
as well in the event it may help someone else with ID-ing.
The top bill appeared almost completely dark to my tired eyes last night, & the
subtle difference (especially with a higher ISO setting because of dim light &
strong wind) of wing tip white/whitish/sandy was lost on those same eyes. Also
being entirely on foot, i think i spread myself a bit too thin at times & it
takes a lot out of me. lol
I did have 2 emails waiting for me today from individuals belonging to this
group alerting me to the gull ID, thanks again for the feedback! It is very
helpful & nice to know that people, in good conscious, will alert someone to a
mistake/potential mistake. It is helpful to me in identification & learning.
Someone did propose an Iceland Gull. I think Glaucous Gull, but if anyone
thinks other wise, please let me know. thanks!
checklist
https://ebird.org/wi/view/checklist/S43817587
I might have enough left in me to check on the Bufflehead group. Exciting
migration time!
good birding
- Tracy Chiconas
Milwaukee, Co.
tchiconas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
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