This first-cycle gull with Kelp Gull features was photographed in the Coastal Plain near Houston and Galveston, Texas, on February 01, 2006: it was a large (size of an average smith. HERG,) aggressive bird:
Twice it adopted a long-call posture: after the bow, the neck went to about 75% (not vertical) for a second or two, then dropped slightly to c.60% for the main duration of the call:
note the strong bill with large gonys, and the faint dark line behind the eye:
The tibia and rear of tibio-tarsal joints were a dull ochre-brownish color:
from above the tail was almost all-dark, contrasting with the very white uppertail coverts and rump:
