RE: [SBB] dark seagull at SWPCP

["Alvaro Jaramillo" <[[email protected]]>]

Bill

   Perhaps this is an oiled bird or something like that Bill, but there are
aspects of the description that sound very interesting. The species that you
should look at is Black-tailed Gull if you can find some good illustrations
of that. It has never been seen in California, but it is due to be found.
Any chance that it could have been that species, or were the markings
diffuse and "messy" making it seem like one of our regular gulls which was
oiled or stained? 

Regards

Al

Alvaro Jaramillo
[[email protected]]
Half Moon Bay, CA

Field Guides - Birding Tours Worldwide
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> -----Original Message-----
> From: south-bay-birds-bounces+chucao=[[email protected]]
> [mailto:south-bay-birds-bounces+chucao=[[email protected]]] On
> Behalf Of Bill Maney
> Sent: Monday, October 03, 2005 3:14 PM
> To: south bay birds
> Subject: [SBB] dark seagull at SWPCP
> 
> Seen 1:30pm, Monday october 3.
> On the bird levee in the east (red radar tower) pond there was a very
> dark seagull, sitting with a large group of pintails and shovellers.
> Its entire back, neck and head were dull charcoal and the primaries were
> black with distinctly light tips (not quite white).  The undertail
> feathers were white.  The tail feathers were dark, but may have had
> lighter edges (or just shiny), and remained hidden under the wings
> mostly.  It had dingy yellow legs and bill except for a  red and black
> lower mandible mark.  The eye was dark.  I didn't get a great
> comparision but I think it was bigger than the ring-bills.  The forehead
> was sloped and my impression was that it's head and beak were long.
> It was preening continuously.
> Since I couldn't find anything like it in my National Geograpic guide I
> thought it might be interesting to the group.  I'd appreciate any advice
> on what this bird is.  Is there an opposite to albino?
> 
> Also seen:
> Green Heron
> Bufflehead
> Herring gull
> Red-necked Pharalope (~2 dozen)
> 
> Also, a burrowing owl.  Within the treatment plant, on the way to A4
> there are two that appear to live in borrows on the levee, just inside
> the fence.  A bold ground squirrel ran right in front of one owl.
> 
> Thanks,
> Bill Maney
> Sunnyvale
> 
> Patricia Kenny wrote:
> >
> > This morning Roland Kenner and I saw a BLACKPOLL WARBLER just past the
> > parking lot in the fennel patch on the left side of the trail as you
> walk
> > out to the East/West Ponds at the Sunnyvale Water Pollution Control
> Plant.
> > The bird appeared to be a first winter bird.  It was olive on the head
> and
> > back; yellow on the face, throat, and upper breast; white on the
> undertail
> > coverts.  It had coarse streaking on the back and on the sides.  It had
> two
> > prominent white wing-bars (the lower wing-bar had a slight yellow tint).
> > The primaries were white-tipped and the tertials had broad white edges.
> > There was a dark line through the eye. The bill was black on top, but
> the
> > lower mandible appeared paler, yellowish.  The bird was actively feeding
> in
> > the fennel when we first saw it around 8:30.  It was still there when we
> > passed that area around 10:30.
> >
> > Other notable birds were a BLUE-WINGED TEAL in the slough near the
> Lockheed
> > Ponds and several AMERICAN PIPITS in the mud at the edge of the Lockheed
> > Ponds.
> >
> > Take care.
> > Pat Kenny
> >
> >
> >
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