Date: Sun, 23 Jan 2000 08:22:30 EST Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Mary Ann Todd Subject: Jug Bay smithsonianus x graellsii? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Watched the gulls on the flat below the visitor center at Jug Bay Wetlands on Sat from 12:00-2:00. Not too many at first, but numbers built up. About 12:30 I noticed an adult herring type swimming. It had a distinctly slightly darker mantle, nearly as dark as California. The bill was very pale chalky yellow from base to gony, with a bright yellow tip and large orange-red spot. My first thought was adult thayeri, since they sometimes show that tricolor bill effect, and are slightly darker mantled, but as it turned I could see that the structure was to heavy, and the bill seemingly too long. It jumped onto the ice flashing its primaries briefly. It was definitely not thayeri. All outer primaries were extensively black on inner webs. P10 had a small mirror surrounded by black, and p9 may have had no mirror at all. The legs were bright orange-pink, about the same as on a few of the Herrings now moving into alternate plumage. As it stood, it was on the small end of Herring in size and structure. The head was heavily streaked. Streaks perhaps broader, browner, and more concentrated around eye than on average the Herring.The gulls flushed after a few minutes, and I did not see this bird again. The windy conditions prevented any good video through the scope, though I tried. When I got home it occurred to me that this bird was a good candidate for a smithsonianus x graellsii hybrid, with wing pattern near to the latter, bill color suggestive of graellsii, and other features intermediate between the two. I did not see Black-headed, but more gulls were coming in as I left. Dave Czaplak ================================================================= To unsubscribe send a message to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ==========================================================================================================================================