Fwd: [eBird Alert] Kings County Rare Bird Alert Prospect Lake MEW GULL ** & Lesser Black backed gull yesterday

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From: <ebird-alert@birds.cornell.edu>
Date: Tue, Feb 9, 2021, 8:47 PM
Subject: [eBird Alert] Kings County Rare Bird Alert <hourly>
To:

*** Species Summary:

- Mew Gull (European) (1 report)
- Lesser Black-backed Gull (1 report)

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Thank you for subscribing to the <hourly> Kings County Rare Bird Alert.The report below shows observations of rare birds in Kings County.  View or unsubscribe to this alert at https://ebird.org/alert/summary?sid=SN35645
NOTE: all sightings are UNCONFIRMED unless indicated.

eBird encourages our users to bird safely, responsibly, and mindfully. Please follow the recommendations of your local health authorities and respect any active travel restrictions in your area. For more information visit: https://ebird.org/news/please-bird-mindfully

Mew Gull (European) (Larus canus canus) (1)
- Reported Feb 09, 2021 13:55 by Doug Gochfeld
- Prospect Park--Prospect Lake, Kings, New York
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&q=40.6553787,-73.9686421&ll=40.6553787,-73.9686421
- Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S80732290
- Comments: "***Very rare! Apparently the same individual that has been intermittently seen at the Brooklyn Army Terminal pier since early December, first found by Andrew Baksh, and regularly monitored since by Shane Blodgett. Juvenile/first-winter/2nd calendar year small white-headed gull. Size of Ring-billed, perhaps a bit less bulky. Obviously thinner, more diminutive bull, with a pale, unsaturated bone/light gray colored base, and a dark tip, more extensive on the lower mandible. Brown smudging on the neck, and in a cowl around the nape, least concentrated on the front/upper-breast. Dark secondary bar, pale gray greater coverts, light gray-brown non-contrasty median coverts that were neat, fairly wide, and not patterned with white (but dark central shafts were visible in a scope). Innermost tertials brown, outermost tertials gray. Comparison of digiscoped video of this bird and substantially higher quality images of the Brooklyn Army Terminal bird seem to support that it is the same individual. I first saw it perched on the ice away from most other gulls around 14:05, when I had an intriguing look in binoculars, then got it in the scope for several seconds. As it looked very good for Mew Gull I immediately tried to get photos, but simultaneously all the gulls on the lake freaked out and lifted off, and I lost it immediately. I spent therest of my time here vigilantly scanning and trying to refind this individual. Around 14:50 it suddenly appeared bathing on the small bit of open water in the middle of the frozen lake, and I was able to study it for a couple of minutes and take an eh-quality digiscoped video. It flew out of the frame while I was recording and I was unable to re-find it even though I began looking immediately."

Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus) (2)
- Reported Feb 09, 2021 13:55 by Doug Gochfeld
- Prospect Park--Prospect Lake, Kings, New York
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&q=40.6553787,-73.9686421&ll=40.6553787,-73.9686421
- Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S80732290
- Comments: "Two juveniles/first-winters. One with replaced mantle feathers (on the paler more patterned end) on the lake upon my arrival, last seen around 14:02. This first one could have been the individual that was on the lake on the 5th and 6th, but while it looked similar plumage-wise, it also looked sleeker and smaller-billed. One more typical darker bird appeared around 15:40. Photos of both."

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