Dick & Jean Hoffman - the local bird scene - 2005 Gulls

A close look at an adult

This adult Lesser Black-backed Gull flew past us. It eventually settled on the ice and later on the fishing pier where we could see it well. It was faintly smaller than the Herring Gulls with a flattish head with fine streaks on the head and nape, a long yellow bill with red spot and black smudge on both upper and lower parts and a pale yellow eye. The mantle was dark, only about one shade lighter than the black in the primaries. The legs and feet were clear yellow and long making the bird look tall.

Three more views of this bird:

These photos are from scanned images of the original slides and have not been altered other than to crop and reduce their size. All photos copyright © 2005 Dick Hoffman, all rights reserved.