Hey all - The Local Patch Birding trip was basically rained out this morning, but I decided to perservere. Most of my morning was spent at East 72nd St, where there a few thousand gulls to pick through. Three LESSER BLACK-BACKEDS were present (2 adults, 1 2nd-winter), but it was two other identical birds that piqued my interest. Both birds stood out right away because they were quite noticeably larger and darker-mantled than the numerous Herring Gulls. The mantle color was a charcoal gray, landing appx. midway between Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls. The heads were bright white, with only a few fine streaks on the nape. The bills were bright yellow with red gonydeal spot, but slightly longer and bulkier than Herring. The gonydeal spot also seemed to be a bit larger, as a result. The legs were pink and the eye yellowish clear. Structurally, the birds were quite a bit larger than the Herrings, with bulkier and wider heads, which were quite flattened on top and sqaured off toward the rear. Overall, sizewize, the birds fell between Herring and Great Black-backed, as I was afforded numerous comparisons with both. The white primary spots appeared slightly larger and the primaries longer than Herring. In flight, the birds flew with deep, slow wingbeats reminiscent of Great Black-backed Gull, probably due to their larger size. There was a charcoal bar extending up the trailing edge of the wing's underside. Basically, to me, these birds showed every indication of being HERRINGxGREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL hyrbids. I admit that Western Gull crossed my mind numerous times, but size would seem to rule that species out. They fell between Herring and Great Black-backed in every department. These birds were definitely unique, though, and stood out with the naked eye at quite a distance. I welcome comments from those familiar with this hybrid. As I was leaving, a flock of 200+ Snow Buntings flew over heading due south. A Peregrine pair and a White-crowned Sparrow were also nice. Good birding - Gabe Leidy Cleveland ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]