As previously reported by Doreene Linzell, Dan Sanders, Bill Kinkead
Doreene and I (Jay Lehman) saw a juvenile plumage Laughing Gull this
afternoon along the causeway at Mosquito Lake  This post addresses the
field marks seen to make it a Laughing Gull and not a Franklin's Gull.  I
have used the following references:  Gulls of North America, Europe and
Asia-K. M. Olsen and H. Larsson;  Gulls a guide to identification-P. J.
Grant;  The Sibley Guide to Birds-D.A. Sibley and National Geographic Field
Guide to the Birds of North America-J. L. Dunn and J. Alderferer.

The head, neck breast and much of the belly of this bird were brown with
some white mottling and the white mottling becomes more apparent and
overwhelms the brown in bright sunshine and with back-lighting; there was
no dark hood.  A Franklin's Gull in this plumage should have a hood,  brown
or blackish depending on age, with a distinctive white forehead with only a
much smaller amount of brown or brownish wash along the sides of the breast
with the rest of the underparts white.

There were no distinctive white tips of the primaries on the folded wings;
if there was any white on the tips it was very hard to see; thus,the
primaries appeared completely black on the folded wings and in flight.
Franklin's Gulls even in juvenile plumage have much more distinct white
tips on the primaries when the wings are folded and in flight.

There was a broad black band on the tail, so wide that the tail feathers
appeared to be almost or totally black above (only surface seen) from edge
to edge and with a narrow terminal white band proved by white tips to tail
feathers.  I have flight photos of the tail in flight showing no white
edges to the black band.  Franklin's Gull has a narrower black band on the
tail and white tail edges on the sides of the black band such that the
black band is surrounded by white even in juvenile plumage.

This gull was very long-legged relative to the Ring-billed Gulls.
Franklin's Gull has shorter legs which would be very apparent next to
Ring-billed Gulls.

There were narrow white eye arcs.  Franklin's Gull has thicker more
distinctive eye arcs accentuated by the hood.

The under surface of the wings are quite dark with a broad dark brown bar
that starts in the carpal area (giving the impression of dark arm pits),
and extends up the wing undersurface.  Franklin's Gull has black on the
primaries on the underwing but the rest of the underwing surface is very
white.

The upper wing  coverts are strongly mottled with buffy feather edges.
Franklin's Gull in this plumage is not as distinctly mottled and with
whiter feather edges.

The head was very angular in shape with a gradually sloping forehead to the
bill.  Franklin's Gull has a more rounded head and crown with a more
steeply sloped forehead to the bill.  These differences can be hard to
judge on a single bird.

The bill was relatively thick and relatively long, long enough that base to
tip is longer than the distance from the bill base to back of the eye; bill
has apparent downward  curvature
or hooked appearance.  Franklin's Gull has a shorter and more dainty bill
with less curvature.  These differences can be hard to judge on a single
bird.

We spent quite a while studying this bird and consulting Sibley and
National Geographic field guides. Dan and I had never before seen a
juvenile plumage Laughing Gull in Ohio

When I post my photos, I will announce where they are posted.

Jay

Jay G Lehman, Cincinnati, OH
Sent from Droid Razr

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