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By VAGAbond
#83899
From Iona Jan. 30

Herring Gull?

Image


Thayer's Gull?

Image


Thanks for the help.
By birdterp
#83901
I don't spend as much time puzzling over gulls as I feel I aught to. But I've found this to be a useful resource. http://www.birdscanada.org/volunteer/bc ... eAdult.pdf

I think you've reached some good conclusions. Just wondering though, Thayer's are described as having a more rounded head, and this one looks flat to me. Maybe someone wiser in the ways of gulls could comment.
By birdergirl
#83933
Hi Brian,

The small gull in the second photo is a Mew Gull. The two others you are asking about are Thayer's. You can tell they are Thayer's Gulls because both birds have a long thin bill (no prominent gonydeal like in a Glaucous-winged Gull) and black primaries, that appear mostly pale on the underside. Eye colour can be quite variable in Thayer's Gulls. The gull in the second photo with the Mew Gull has the dark dusky eye look. The top photo has a gull with a paler eye, so I can see why you thought it was a Herring.

Hope this helps. Gulls are really tricky.

Cheers,
Mel
By VAGAbond
#83938
Thanks Mel. I had my books with Thayer's and Herring Gull descriptions open and dithered over the first picture. The yellow eye suggested Herring and both seemed to me to have flattish heads and not round like Thayer's. The paler undersides of the primaries was a puzzle, I was not sure I could see the undersides.

Thanks again.
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