[Birdtalk] Response to possible Iceland Gull photos (from a few weeks ago)

[Matt Mills]

Hey all,

I sent the link of those gull pics ("possible Iceland gull" taken by Ryan O' Donnell a few weeks ago) to one of my friends in Ontario. He is a big shorebird/gull buff who I talk to from time to time on this sort of thing.

I think his reply would be of interest to some:

"The Utah gull is very interesting. I tried to fit a leucistic California Gull into this but it did not smell right. Kumlien's Gull comes to mind. There is one thing that is very wrong for a first calendar year Kumlien's Gull and that is the sharply two toned bill. I have never seen what looks like a pinkish, well defined pale bill base in a Kumlien's Gull at this time of year in Ontario. An ill defined, grayish, bluish or yellowish colour starts to appear at the bill base as we get closer to or after New Year, or at least this is the case in most birds. By the way, these Kumlien's are in full juvenile plumage now, typical of northern large gulls. To get to the core of the matter, I can see the chance that this guy is a juvenile Iceland Gull ( L. g. glaucoides ) that somehow moved into the northern heartland of America the Great. I can't fit it anywhere else at this point."

Take it easy

Matt Mills
mattymills2005 at yahoo.com