Lesser Black-backed Gull, Larus fuscus, juvenile. Dryden TWS, Tompkins Co., NY, 8 November 2005.
Photos taken with Sony Sure Shot digital camera through a Swarovski HD-80 spotting scope.
Note how fresh and unworn all of the feathers are. Few of the Herring Gulls with it were this immaculate.
Note the slim body, long wings, black-and-white checkered wing coverts, and the pale belly (compared to the Herring Gull just behind and to the left).
When it flew I could see that the tail was half black and that the outer tail feathers were barred white with black. The "black band with white rump" was markedly different than the "black tail with dirty rump" of the surrounding Herring Gulls.
More photos, taken 11 November 2005 at the same place.
This shot shows the pale, lightly barred uppertail coverts and half-black tail. Compare with the juvenile Herring Gull rump just exiting the photo at the lower left.
Photos © Kevin J. McGowan
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