[obol] Coos Gull photos

[Alan Contreras]

Russ, I can't find fault with your i.d. Of the gull.  It is small, but so
many of our westerns have porked up with G-wing genes that I'd be hard
pressed to say what is "normal" in such a winter cluster.  Good job on this.

-- 
Alan Contreras
EUGENE, OREGON
acontrer at mindspring.com
www.OREGONREVIEW.BLOGSPOT.COM ­ Commentary
www.CONTRERASBIRDS.BLOGSPOT.COM ­ Current Bird Photos


"Every time I hear a political speech or I read those of our leaders, I am
horrified at having, for years, heard nothing which sounded human.  It is
always the same words telling the same lies. And the fact that men accept
this, that the people's anger has not destroyed these hollow clowns, strikes
me as proof that men attribute no importance to the way they are governed;
that they gamble--yes, gamble--with a whole part of their life and their
so-called 'vital interests'."

Albert Camus, 1937





> From: Russ Namitz <namitzr at hotmail.com>
> Date: Sat, 19 Apr 2008 18:52:41 -0700
> To: <obol at lists.oregonstate.edu>
> Subject: [obol] Coos Gull photos
> 
> I haven't replaced my stolen camera, so all I have is an old video camera to
> "grab" photos from...not the best quality to say the least.
> 
> Tim & I viewed the mystery gull in the rain.  It was in a flock of Western
> Gulls, Glaucous-winged Gulls and hybrids of those two species.  It was
> slightly darker and smaller than all other gulls present.
> 
> The bird was an adult with a clean tail & bill, and apical spots (white
> spots on folded wing).  The bill was the same orange-yellow as the
> surrounding Western Gulls and the pink leg color was also the same.  The
> bill was thick and had a similar gonys angle as the surrounding Western
> Gulls.  This individual and at least one other had some sort of clear oil on
> the head & chest area, probably from dumpster diving at the nearby seafood
> plant.
> 
> We determined this to be the southern subspecies of Western Gull (Larus
> occidentalis wymani).  Two characteristics seemed unusual.  The obvious
> smaller size and the same color iris as the surrounding Western Gulls.
> Wymani usually have a lighter-colored iris than the northern occidentalis.
> Following Bergmann's Rule, the southern wymani should be smaller in all
> measurements on average than their northern counterparts, but this
> individual seemed at the extreme.  Perhaps a small female??
> 
> Anyway, have a look at the photo grabs.  This bird doesn't show any of the
> obvious characteristics of Slaty-backed Gull.  Lesser Black-backed & Kelp
> Gull both have yellow legs.  It didn't show any Herring Gull characteristics
> for a Kelp x Herring Gull hybrid.
> 
> http://surfbirds.com/albums/showgallery.php?cat=555
> 
> Cheers,
> Russ Namitz
> Coos Bay
> 
> 
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