Glaucous-winged Gull, 1st winter: Salinas River Mouth, Monterey, California, USA - 24th November 2009
This appears to be a typical individual though the bill is slightly pale at the base and the primaries look a little dark, this I think though is down to the angle and lighting.
In general the plumage is pale sandy, grey-brown with fresher next generation grey scapulars and a breast side feather showing through the still largely juvenile plumage.
Note the short primary projection and steep tertial crescent resulting in a rather blunt ended appearance.
The greater coverts are basically plain with paler tips and slightly darker subterminal marks which get progressively more obvious towards the inner feathers, the appearance of a plain band across the wing.
Also note the head shape, rather square, and the deep, chunky thickset bill
Glaucous-winged Gull - Larus glaycescens
First-years : page 3
Glaucous-winged Gull, 1st winter: Salinas River Mouth, Monterey, California, USA - 24th November 2009
Similar to the previous bird in jizz, short wings creating a stumpy rear end. The primaries are mid brown with pale fringes whilst the tertials are relatively plain bases with white tips with limited marbling affect.
The Greater Coverts have the darker more solid outer quarter whilst the markings become more pronounced towards the inner feathers.
The Median and Lesser coverts are brown with pale fringes creating a rather well pattern patch across the mid-wing.
The 'saddle' is rather plain and quite greyish.
The thick short legs are bright bubble gum pink
Glaucous-winged Gull, 1st winter: Laguna Park, San Louis Obispo, California, USA - 23rd November 2009
A per what can be considered pure Glaucous-winged Gulls this bird has an overall sandy-brown-grey plumnage quality. This bird, front on, shows the smooth under-parts, only blotched on the upper-breast and onto the neck.
The primaries from this angle are concolorous with tertials, which themselves have rather large white tips.
The greater coverts differ from the preceding birds in that they are largely pale with darker bases and tips with the outermost feathers only showing any signs of becoming completely dark(ish). The Median and Lesser coverts do not contrast heavily with the greater coverts in that they have a similar rather open pattern with darker tips and shafts forming indistinct arrowheads.
The greater coverts are pale with brown subterminal barks creating a rather banded upper-part pattern.
Same bird is below
Glaucous-winged Gull, 1st winter: Goat Rock Beach, Jenner, California, USA - 28th November 2009
This is one of those birds; is it one or is it a hybrid. The wing-coverts are rather well patterned and the tertials have more marbling at the tips and fringes than I've seen on most birds however this matches rather closely the images in Howell&Dunn so is probably a variant and within range of acceptable birds.
The primaries are also a little paler than many of the other birds which is largely due to the rather large pale tips and lengthy pale fringes, it otherwise matches tone of other Glaucous-wings. The tail here does show white outer rectrices but this doesn't seem to be totally uncommon.
Apart from the wing coverts and the scapular patterning given cause for concern the head and bill seem to have a more 'Herring Gull' quality though this may be due the angle of the bird. It appears to have a more slender and pale based bill that would be expected but all of the features here are apparently within range of good Glaucous-wingeds.
I still have a lot to figure out on these birds.
Glaucous-winged Gull, 1st winter: Salinas River Mouth, Monterey, California, USA - 24th November 2009
Unfortunately I was not able to get any upper-wing and upper-tail shots of any of the first-winter Glaucous-winged Gulls whilst I was at Salinas.
However this shots does provide some useful information:
- Note the plain, brown Median and Lesser under-wing coverts which contrasts with the whiter primaries, secondaries and greater under-wing coverts.
- The primary tips are rather blunt, rounded.
- On the upper-wing the primaries can be seen as pale on the inner web, darker on the narrower outer web and with a dark tip. The greater coverts and greater primary coverts are rather plain with little barring.
- The under-tails coverts are rather coarsely marked
- The under-parts are rather smooth and uniform greyish-brown, lacking blotching.
Glaucous-winged Gull, 1st winter: Salinas River Mouth, Monterey, California, USA - 24th November 2009
Note the similar features, those that are visible at least, in this image and the previous on e. Here also the underside to the tail feathers of the upper bird look quite strikingly white compared with the coarsely marked under-tail coverts.
The upper-tail of the lower can be just seen which is solid to the edges and bases and the upper-tail coverts are rather well marked.
Glaucous-winged Gull, 1st winter: Goat Rock Beach, Jenner, California, USA - 28th November 2009
A large and relatively dark individual. All of the wing-coverts are solidly brown with only the most limited of faint pale fringes. The tertials, at this angle, look mid greyish-brown which match that of the secondaries, just exposed beneath the greater coverts, and the inner webs of the primaries; the outer webs of the primaries are paler and as drooped are perhaps giving an impression of a longer winged bird.
Glaucous-winged Gull, 1st winter: Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California, USA - 13th November 2009
A rather typical pale sandy-brown individual: Note the following:
- Concolorous primaries, tertials and greater coverts
- Large tertial step; tertials plain with white at the tips only
- Greater coverts solid with pale tips obvious towards the inner feathers
- Newer grey scapulars beginning to show through
- Smooth, uniform sandy-brown under-parts
- Large square looking head with large eye and darker feathering around the ear coverts
- large, deep based, all dark bill with hint of pale base
- Laddered dull pink legs, usually brighter pink in older ages.
This bird was rather submissive to the other gulls when I was throwing out the bread, hence the hunched appearance.
Glaucous-winged Gull, 1st winter: Salinas River Mouth, California, USA - 26th November 2009
A generally much paler bird than most of the others with much paler primaries, tertials and wing coverts however they are all still uniform in colour and tone.
The greater coverts are still rather solid.
November birds
