1^st Round Voting Comments

Record #: 5-A-03

Great Black-backed Gull

ACCEPT -- 7 Accept, 0 Reject

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12-10-2006.

Shirley Sturts -- Accept

With my lack of gull expertise, this is not an easy record to vote on. I'm basing my vote to accept on excellent documentation, photographs and what I think are endorsements from two outside gull specialists. I found their emails to be a bit confusing, but I think they were leaning toward this bird being correctly identified as a first winter Great Black-backed Gull. Thomas Good in "The Birds of North American, No. 330,1998", says "Vagrants are occasionally recorded far from main breedig and wintering ranges... west to s. British Columbia (Campbell et al, 1990) and Colorado (Andrews and Righter 1992).

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12/11/2006.

Cliff Weisse -- Accept

All relevant field marks included in description and visible in photos.

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12-11-06.

Carlisle -- Accept

I've seen a lot & this looks right - also, many observers.

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12-11-2006.

chuck trost -- Accept

Good description and photos. An obviously huge gull that got respect from HEGU [Herring Gull] and others.

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12-15-2006.

Dave Trochlell -- Accept

This massive immature gull could not be any other species than a Great Black-backed Gull. I accept this candidate as Idaho's first record of Great Black-backed Gull and have no reservations.

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01-02-2007.

dumroese -- Accept

Excellent field notes; good description and comparison with other likely gull species; nice photos.

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1/7/2007

Charles Swift -- Accept

Excellent description and photos include careful elimination of other possible suspects. Massive bill, very large size, and black/white checkerboard pattern very distinctive for 1w GBB Gull.

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