Update, Jan 25, 2003: compare this bird to this juvenile
vegae from Japan in November.
This presumed first-basic smithsonianus Herring Gull was photographed at Linkcrest
Landfill, Fort Worth, Texas, by Martin Reid in December 2002.
The greater coverts are perfect for vegae and beyond my
experience for smithsonianus, but otherwise this bird looks
within the range for those birds presumed to be from the northwest
(slender bill, long wings; short tail, "gentle" head
shape) - if smith HERGs can look like this, I suspect that
only extreme individuals of vegae could be identified in
North America:
