Image was taken on April 30th on the Mendocino headlands overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Northern California.
I looked it up in my Sibley's guide and I am overwhelmed by how many gulls look similar to this:(. Can one of our local gull experts point out what gull this is and why?
Hi Chris. It would be helpful to know what the leg color is and what the underwing looks like. Based solely on the mantle shade and the location of the shot, I would say the odds are very good that this is an adult Western Gull:)
Dan,
From your questioning I'm starting to get a grasp of how you ID' ed it. Gulls are very difficult to ID I'm coming to find out.
My Lone Pine "Birds of Northern California" had this to say about it. "The identification of large gulls is not as simple as many standard field guides might lead one to believe. These birds require slightly more than three years to assume full adult plumage, molting through many confusing intermediate stages in the process."
So now I see why I need to get as many field markings as possible to come up with a probable ID.
In looking over the Herring Gull it also has pink feet and it's breeding colors show a white head so i wouldn't rule it out yet. What made you believe it was a herring gull?
I agree with others that have gone for Western Gull.
The features that support that ID are:
Jizz - thick bulbous bill, flat head, short broad wings & a long tail;
Dark eyes;
Broad white trailing edge to wings that are really too dark for Am Herring Gull;
The primary pattern (mirrors & spots - particularly P10 & P9) is typical for Western Gull, but 'western' Am Herring Gull are quite variable & some can show even less white than this individual;
Bubblegum pink legs.
If you are really interested in gull ID then the book to have is 'Gulls of Europe, Asia & Nth America' by Olsen & Larsson.