Two puzzling gulls

in Massachusetts - July 2008

created by Blair Nikula

Both of the two 1st-summer (2cy) gulls depicted below I initially thought were Lesser Black-backed Gulls. At first glance, the dark, chocolate-brown mantles, contrasting with mostly whitish head and body were suggestive of that species.  Closer examination, however, revealed characters that are inconsistent with that species in that plumage. The second bird, in particular, seems like a good candidate for a Lesser Black-backed x Herring hybrid. The first may simply be a somewhat atypical LBBG.

North Monomoy, Chatham, Massachusetts - 26 July 2008:
This bird was sleeping when I first noticed it among a flock of 150+ gulls (including 3 Lesser Black-backeds).  When it awoke, I was struck by the paleness of the bill, which is not typical for LBBG in its first summer. Otherwise, I can't see anything that looks too atypical for LBBG, but something about it just doesn't "feel" right to me.

Stellwagen Bank, off Provincetown, Massachusetts - 27 July 2008:
I thought this bird was a typical 1st-summer LBBG, until it flew, revealing an unusually dark upper tail, contrasting little with the dark terminal band.  There is also quite a bit of paleness in the base of the bill, though this may not be too unusual at this date. Additionally, the bird is quite husky, with a pretty thick bill.