Assuming it is a first winter, which I think is a good assumption this early in the winter, do Herring Gull primaries, tail, and secondaries get that dark? I am sure they can but the flight feathers on this bird seem really dark. Also, you can see the rump in a photo and it looks paler than what I typically see on first winter Herrings. Maybe that is a factor of the lighting. For me, the combo of big bill, rather dark flight feathers and tail, blocky head, and rather pale rump lead to this bird feeling a bit off for Herring for me. Also, that this bird reasonably stood out from the other gulls more than once.
For the record, I hold that loosely. I think it is reasonable that it is a Herring. I just do not have much experience with Western Gulls either or gull hybrids.
That bill is pretty long but the extensively pale base this early
in winter doesn’t really fit anything this bird could be (any
hybrid with Glaucous would have paler primaries). Aside from the
bill what’s wrong with this bird for Herring Gull? My guess from
these photos is a Herring with unusual bill.
Cliff
On 11/11/21 8:40 PM, Jason Talbot via
groups.io wrote:
Red letter day .went to upper dam to see get better photo red neck grebe saw & got good photo on to lower dam 2 trumpeter swans north of boat ramp continued along dam 2 red breasted mergansers 6 gadwalls 4 ruddies & plenty of grebes w.c.h.e.
Attached are 2 photos of a rather dark Canada(?) Goose. The bird has been hanging around Esther Simplot Park for some time now, and it is very tolerant of humans, which is why I was able to get these photos with my phone. The bird is basically
shunned by all the Canada Geese in the park, even though it has the chin strap of a Canada. The front is not just dark but also somewhat streaked and the lower parts of the bird are much darker than a regular Canada.
