I hate moments like these:
      Yesterday I was almost certain that I was looking at a Lesser Black-backed Gull until it hopped upon a snag and I perceived orangish-pink feet. I almost fell over because I was expecting to see yellow.
    By the time I got home some of the euphoria of had turned into self-doubt. Could I have been wrong? I looked at several field guides and concluded that my impression had been correct. I had seen no hint of yellow. I reported with confidence that the bird had to be either a Slaty-backed or a Western, knowing full well the magnitude of such a claim and willing to risk my credibility to do so.
     My biggest fear this morning was that the bird would not be refound and my sighting would be met with skepticism. So when Bruce Glick informed me that others had seen a bird that looked very much like the bird that I had seen (clean breeding plumage) and that it had bright yellow legs, I almost fell over again. It had to have been the same bird that I had seen. How does one confuse yellow and pink? On reflection, I remembered that when I first saw the bird straight on I momentarily thought the entire bill looked reddish-orange. Was it the angle of the afternoon light? Doesn't matter. I got it wrong.
     I apologize for my error. Without further adieu, I will now slink to the back of the pack. If you see a birder in the field wearing a bag over his head, please don't ask who it is. Just know that behind the bag is a face of unmistakable scarlet hue.

  Gabe Hostetler
  Wooster



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