[SBB] Oh no!...not another Slaty-backed Gull.

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

Birders

   My apologies for the cross-posting. Today another Slaty-backed Gull
showed up at Venice Beach, Half Moon Bay, San Mateo County. This one is a
first year bird, so the identification will surely be more contentious.
However, everything seems to fit with Slaty-backed as an identification
rather than some hybrid or funny Herring Gull. Assuming this is correctly
identified, it would be the third Slaty-backed Gull reported from Half Moon
Bay this winter, and a new one different from the ones reported last year
(due to its age). Here is a link to photos of today's bird (top one), with
comments:

http://www.coastside.net/chucao/gulls/Slatyback.htm

Access is off Hwy 1, north of Half Moon Bay take Venice Blvd towards the
ocean. Park at the big parking lot, and look for the gull flock on the
beach. This bird was mostly right at the mouth of Pilarcitos Creek (the
southernmost of the two creeks here). The bird was seen at around 4:15-4:30
pm, light is best in the morning, but there are more birds in the afternoon.
The ideal day is an overcast day, with crummy enough weather that few people
are on the beach. 

If anyone has input on the identification, please let me know. I realize
this is not an age class we can be entirely confident about...yet. 

Good luck. 

Al

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

Field Guides - Birding Tours Worldwide
http://www.fieldguides.com/home.htm



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