[TopOfUtah] Logan Slaty-backed Gull=Lesser Black-backed Gull

[Craig Fosdick]

As many of you have perhaps already concluded, the "Slaty-backed Gull" that
I rather hastily reported on Sunday is in fact not a Slaty-backed Gull, but
apparently rather the same LBBG that has been present since at Sue's Ponds
since Nov 5.

Ryan O' Donnell and Jason Pietrzak have provided compelling photographic
evidence associated with the Lesser Black-backed Gull record that they have
submitted to the Utah State Records Committee (
http://www.utahbirds.org/RecCom/2008/2008_32Photos.htm) that shows that (1)
the Lesser Black-backed Gull is molting, thus giving it a short-winged
appearance that helped to lead me astray, and (2) the coloration of
the Lesser Black-backed Gulls legs apparently can appear to range from pink
to pink-yellow and all sorts of shades in between.

Also, Slaty-backed Gull should show relatively large white spots on the tips
of its primaries when folded; the photos I have provided (
http://www.utahbirds.org/hotlinephotos/2008/SlatyBackedGull.htm) clearly do
not show any such spotting; the short-winged look due to molt is evident in
the photos.  How I missed that in the field, I have no idea....

Back to the dump and Sue's Ponds for me....

Good birding, Craig.

Craig Fosdick
Logan, Utah.
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