Hello Ohbirders,

This morning the ornithology class, Jed Burtt, Bill Heck and I observed 5
species of gull at Delaware Reservoir. Along with 400 Ring-billed, 10-15
Herring, and a dozen Bonaparte's, we saw one full adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED
GULL, and one 4th year subadult GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL.

Lesser Black-backed Gull- full adult with clean plumage and red spot on
bill. The mantle was dark gray, and noticeably darker than adjacent
Ring-billeds and Herrings, but not black. The bird was intermediate in size
of a Ring-billed and Herring- larger than a Ring-billed but not quite
Herring Gull size. It had a fairly rounded head and an medium sized bill.
The primary projection was very long, about 1/4 the total length of back of
the bird. The primaries when folded were mostly black.

Great Black-backed Gull- 4th year subadult. This bird had a dirty black tip
to the bill and a couple very small light gray spots on the mantle. The
mantle was extremely dark gray, appearing black. Huge gull! Dwarfed the
little Ring-billeds, which appeared about half the size, and still bigger
than an adjacent Herring Gull. It had a flat top of the head, with a very
thick neck and a huge bill. The primary projection was short, only about 1/8
the length of the back of the bird. The primaries when folded had a
noticeable amount of white showing.


Good birding,

Sean


---
Sean Williams, '11
Undergraduate of Ornithology of Dr. Jed Burtt
Ohio Wesleyan University
HWCC 724
Delaware, OH 43015
617-470-4094

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