Tuesday, January 5, 2021

Glaucous gull in town



Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus) (1)
- Reported Jan 05, 2021 07:16 by Richard Fleming
- Louis Valentino Jr. Park and Pier, Kings, New York
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&q=40.6783803,-74.0180565&ll=40.6783803,-74.0180565
- Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S78706194
- Media: 7 Photos
- Comments: "I have minimal experience with this species, but this gull from almost first light this morning looks pretty good to me for Glaucous. There were a few gulls floating south of Valentino Pier this morning and my attention was immediately drawn by this one as it flew in to land. Impression was of intense whiteness to the flight feathers, especially outer primaries and secondaries. I was at quite a distance, on land in the park itself when the bird came in; I rushed back out to the end of the pier to take the photos of the bird at rest. Bill large, pink with black tip. Darkest plumage on the bird the gray-brown of the face. The bird began to swim away from the jetty in the direction of Pier 41, so I hurried around to that side for more views and photos. Soon afterwards the bird picked up and flew north through the Buttermilk Channel; I have only the one marginal in-flight photo."