Update: Jan 06, 2003:added
new images from Jan 04, plus pics by Peter Adriaens of a similar
bird, at the bottom.
This presumed first-basic smithsonianus Herring Gull was photographed at Lake
Worth on December 27 2002 and Linkcrest Landfill on January 02,
2003, Tarrant County, Texas, by Martin Reid. The tertials and
wing-coverts seem to be normal first-generation feathers, and
the rearmost scapulars are clearly first-generation HERG-type
feathers - but the newer feathers in the mantle/scaps are clean,
3rd-generation+ types; this combination of upperparts feathers
in December is usually seen only in 3-year gulls:
Note the rather short tail:
In this pic from January 02, note that most of the new scaps are
pure adult-gray, yet a couple have a dark shaft-streak reminiscent
of some cachinnans and heuglini in their first Spring
(clearly this bird is not one of these taxa!):
New pics from Linkcrest on Jan 04; note the new central median
covert (more obvious in this image than those above):
note the new subscapular/lowest scapular feather:
Peter Adriaens kindly provided these images of a smithsonianus
with a similar combination of apparent feather-generations,
from Toronto, Canada in early January 2001. Peter feels that this
plumage is likely to represent individual variation in the first-to-second
generation molt (Peter has pics of a similar argentatus,)
and while I agree, I also wonder if this plumage type has a population-bias?
