[Birdnet] Iceland Gull Details

[Kristin Purdy]

Boy-oh-boy, I sure wish the alleged ICELAND GULL hung around long enough at Farmington Bay WMA in Davis County for more observers to see it. But by the time I left at around 3 pm, most gulls were out of scope range. Here are the details of what we (Glenn Barlow, Pat and Sonya Jividen and I) saw for the sake of future observers. 

As Tim described, the bird was in the open water of Turpin Unit. This spot is southwest of the big parking lot at the end of the west dike. After a Bald Eagle strafed the carp-eating gulls in the channel including the WESTERN, the 2nd winter GLAUCOUS and a likely juvenile THAYER'S and then the roar of a pickup flushed the remaining gulls, I turned my attention southwest with the Oquirrhs in the background. 

A small group of gulls was resting on the opposite (south) side of the unit. The nearly pure white head and neck, small yellow bill with small red gonys spot, and darkish eye distinguished this gull from the Herring and California Gulls present. I didn't start to hyperventilate until I saw the pale gray mantle and wings and VERY LARGE white spots on the tips of medium-gray primaries. The bird was similar in size to a California Gull standing next to it and smaller than the nearby Herring Gulls.

I'm not fond of sounding the tweet alarm for a possible rarity. I like sure things. But this one seemed important enough to get the tweet treatment.

Glenn arrived in a jiffy and Pat and Sonya were already there for the Western Gull. All of us watched the Iceland for awhile--20 minutes or so. The bird flew short distances a couple times and I could barely see the gray in the primary tips with binoculars. The last time it flew into the southeast unit, I panned with the scope on the bird and only then did I pick up some slight darker gray streaks in the primary tips. Pat saw where the bird landed--400-500 yards out--and we picked it up with the scope again. We might not have been able to find it again at that distance had we not known where the bird landed. But with that knowledge, the bird's white head and medium-gray primaries distinguished it from the Herring and California Gulls in the same area. 

Since I arrived home, I've poured through Olsen and Larsson's Gulls of North America, Europe, and Asia to no avail. The best rendition of the bird we saw continues to be in big Sibley, p.219, Iceland Gull, darker adult non-breeding, or Western Sibley, p.191, same illustration. Our bird showed two minor differences from Sibley. The head and neck were even whiter so that the streaks were nearly indiscernable, and the darker gray in the primary tips was a slightly paler shade of gray than shown. 

Keep an eye out for an adult Glaucous Gull. Glenn and I thought we had an adult (a big, pale gray gull with white wingtips), but the gull magically disappeared before we could get the scope on it. Funny how those things with wings do that. 

Thanks to Tim for posting the sighting. 

Kris

Carpe carp!
             -Unknown author. Universal gull motto. Loosely translated, Seize the carp!
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