Kelp Gull (?) Size
PObrien776@aol.com
Wed, 17 Feb 1999 15:53:48 EST
MDOspreyers,
The apparent confusion about the size of the (probable) Kelp Gull in St.
Mary's Co. stems from what struck me as one of the most distinctive features
when I saw the Galveston bird, namely its odd shape, which I also noticed on
the MD bird. It has a barrel chest, but short (folded) wings, so it gives the
impression that a big bird got a transplant of a smaller bird's rear end. It
looks front heavy. As a result, when in the water, it rides lower than a
Herring Gull because it's heavier, so less of the body is showing. At the
same time, because of the short primary projection, it doesn't look as long as
a Herring Gull. But when it chases a Herring Gull off a piling, you see the
broader wings and greater bulk of the Kelp compared to the Herring, so it
looks bigger. When I first saw the Galveston bird I was afraid it would tip
over on its bill, it's that front heavy. If it weren't for the impressive leg
color, the first thing you might notice is the wierd shape. To my eye the MD
bird is identical to the TX bird, aka the"Cover Gull" (Field Notes 51,#4,
1997).
All of the above should help to discount the possibility that the MD bird is a
LBBG, a slender bird with a long primary projection which gets slenderer and
longer-winged the darker the back becomes.
By the way, a third hand comment from Jon Dunn was that Kelp should show a tad
darker back than GBBG.
Paul O'Brien
Rockville, MD
pobrien776@aol.com