RobinHood 51 Posted January 18 Southern Ontario, December 19. This guy stood out in the crowd - quite a bit darker than the other Herrings but not as dark as the nearby Greater Black-backed. Not sure what to think. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
akiley 446 Posted January 18 Looks like a good candidate for Great Lakes Gull to me (Herring x Great Black-backed). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RobinHood 51 Posted January 18 Thanks akiley for the fast response and intriguing answer - I had not heard of this combination. I did notice the bill is an interesting mix of colors - pink with a touch of yellow plus the red, not sure if this hybrid related or a sign of immaturity. I will have to do some research on this. Thanks again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
egosnell2002 53 Posted January 19 Where was this? I had a Herring x Great Black-backed in the Collingwood Harbour a few weeks ago. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RobinHood 51 Posted January 19 Probably the same one then. I was trying to get some better images of the GBBGs and came across it. I did my research and not much doubt about the ID. Apparently they are not uncommon but seldom reported (not much interest in hybrid gulls), but responsible for many incorrect IDs of rarer gulls. I thought gull IDs were tough enough without throwing hybrids into the mix!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
egosnell2002 53 Posted January 20 Oh, cool that it's the same one! Good to know that there is enough coverage in that area for the same bird to be seen twice, good indication that if something rare was there, someone would find it! My pictures are in the eBird list, and I don't really see anything that points to them being different individuals, however, it's hard to tell. https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S51096570 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
akiley 446 Posted January 20 (edited) 1 hour ago, egosnell2002 said: Oh, cool that it's the same one! Good to know that there is enough coverage in that area for the same bird to be seen twice, good indication that if something rare was there, someone would find it! My pictures are in the eBird list, and I don't really see anything that points to them being different individuals, however, it's hard to tell. https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S51096570 From what I can tell, your bird has a bit of streaking on the head and neck. The OP's bird is in full breeding plumage with a pure, unmarked head and neck. I think they could be different birds, although I obviously haven't seen either bird as you have. Edited January 20 by akiley 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
egosnell2002 53 Posted January 20 Yeah that's true, wasn't really sure what could be said about mine, since the pics are so bad. I was hoping it was a SB, but alas Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RobinHood 51 Posted January 20 egosnell2002 I noticed your observation has not been accepted by the reviewer yet and that there are no other sightings in this vicinity until you get down to the Hamilton/Kitchener area. From what I read they are not uncommon so I guess they are just not being reported. https://ebird.org/map/x00047?neg=true&env.minX=-80.80146580932973&env.minY=44.25186590746827&env.maxX=-79.76005348375378&env.maxY=44.602798779269534&zh=true&gp=false&ev=Z&mr=1-12&bmo=1&emo=12&yr=all&byr=1900&eyr=2019 Regards. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RobinHood 51 Posted January 20 Addendum - the only recent (past few years) observation I could find was one in Wiarton. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
