Gull

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: Greetings All : I am throwing my lot in with the middle. I am going to equivocate. : First of all, among the tens of thousands of Glaucous-winged Gulls that I have seen in Washington, I have never seen a Glaucous-winged Gull that shows this bird's mantle/wing pattern. The problem is that Glaucous-winged Gulls get more Glaucous-like as one goes north, and my understanding is that, in Alaska, Glaucous-winged/Glaucous separation can get quite challenging at times. So, perhaps more northerly Glaucous-wingeds can show the gray mantle, clean white tertials/primaries of this bird. Notably, when considering Glaucous Gull, I have no problem with this bird's mantle color. It is in the shade, contrasting with the white-parts that are mostly in the sun. For an example of a Glaucous Gull with a very similar back color, see the Master Guide to Birding. : On the other hand, the eye should look bigger and whiter in Glaucous Gull, and the medium darkness of the eye is troublesome, though it may be a problem with shadowing. Soooo, I am not certain. With a better-lit look, I might feel much more comfortable. I do lean towards Glaucous. : Regarding smaller gulls, such as Iceland-- I agree with Phil, David, and others that the bill looks much too hefty for an Iceland. And regarding primary projection-- that can deceive. When I was but a wee lad, I saw an adult white-winged gull in Chicago. It looked massive, but the wing tips were quite long (like this bird). We photographed it. Larry Balch and Charlie Clark identified it as a Glaucous without a moment's hesitation. With the right moult, the right posture, etc. a Glaucous Gull can occasionally show significant primary extension beyond the tail. : Cheers : Steve Mlodinow

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