Not a local, ID help please.

[James Shadle]

I captured this image as I was putting my boat on the trailer.

This must be a gull passing through.

East side of Tampa Bay, 11/19/2011

Thanks,
James

[Tom Rambaut]

I do have a book on North American birds - Juvenile Black-legged Kittiwake? Not 100% sure.

[Dan Brown]

I do have a book on North American birds - Juvenile Black-legged Kittiwake? Not 100% sure.

I think Tom is right on. And, according to my field guide, this is a very rare sighting for FL! Should be reported to the state/local birding community!

[Paul Guris]

James: This looks good for a first-cycle Black-legged Kittiwake. The bold black "M" across the wings (or "W" if it's flying away from you ) quickly narrows this small gull down to a first-cycle bird of potentially 3 species; Kittiwake, Little Gull, and Ross's Gull. Little Gull should show a black cap in this plumage and should not show the black neck bar. Ross's Gull would have the white cap but would also not show the black neck bar, plus it's got a pointed tail. Here's a photo of a Kittiwake I just took on a pelagic trip I ran out of Delaware this past Saturday for comparison.

[Paul Guris]

James, I forgot to mention that I checked the Florida Ornithological Society's web site and Kittiwake is not a review species for the state. That being said, I'd bet that the vast majority of records for this species come from the Atlantic side, and this species in Tampa might be of great interest. Let me contact a buddy of mine who is highly active in Florida birding to see if they'd like documentation. If so, would you be OK with sending him/them this and perhaps other photos?

One last field mark I wanted to mention. If you have other shots, one interesting thing about Kittiwakes is that they have notched tails (though it can be tough to see). This is a pretty unusual trait for any gull. Here's a photo (probably the same bird as above) that shows the notched tail pretty well.

[James Shadle]

James, I forgot to mention that I checked the Florida Ornithological Society's web site and Kittiwake is not a review species for the state. That being said, I'd bet that the vast majority of records for this species come from the Atlantic side, and this species in Tampa might be of great interest. Let me contact a buddy of mine who is highly active in Florida birding to see if they'd like documentation. If so, would you be OK with sending him/them this and perhaps other photos?

One last field mark I wanted to mention. If you have other shots, one interesting thing about Kittiwakes is that they have notched tails (though it can be tough to see). This is a pretty unusual trait for any gull. Here's a photo (probably the same bird as above) that shows the notched tail pretty well.

That would be great, thanks.
James