Voting Comments 9-B-02

Voting Comments

Record #: 9-B-02

Lesser Black-backed Gull

1st Round: 4-3
2nd Round 5-2

1^st Round (4 Accept, 3 Reject)	2nd Round
08-09-2007. Sturts -- Accept It would be nice to have the photograph the report said was taken, but the description is adequate. I remember it being seen and identified by many experienced birders.	01-28-2009. Sturts --Accept I've been going back and forth on this one because of the inconsistancies in the description between Carole and Terry. The additional remarks by Kas convinced me to stay with by first round accept vote.
8/12/07. Cliff Weisse -- Reject, specific identification not established The bird described in this report is likely a Lesser Black-backed Gull. However the description is not sufficient to eliminate other dark mantled large gulls, including Western Gull, and no structural points are mentioned except the wings extended beyond the tail which is true of all North American Larus species. In addition the description of a "wide white trailing edge to the wing" is a least suggestive of the possibility of Western Gull which has a wider white trailing edge to the secondaries than most other large gull taxa.	1/28/09. Cliff Weisse--Reject, specific identification not established Even with the additional documentation I'm not comfortable with this record. No details of structure are included in any of the descriptions and I feel this is necessary to confirm this ID. The primary projection looks short in all three photos, too short for LBBG. Absent written details of primary extension past the tail or active molt this field mark alone is enough to raise considerable doubt. I think it's likely that this was a LBBG but the report doesn't include enough information to rule out other species of dark mantled gulls.
Dave Trochlell -- Reject, specific identification not established I'm guessing that the describers really did see a LBBG, but the description mentioned flesh-colored legs which "picked up a bit more yellow when the bird moved." That statement created doubt about the identification in my mind, since LBBGs don't have flesh-colored legs. Then, when comparing the LBBG against Slaty-backed Gull, the description states that the species is easily competed by the black primaries and tertials, and that's not true either. Is there any possibility of the IBRC obtaining and viewing Terry's photo of this bird? I think that might help us quite a bit.	02-01-2009. Dave Trochlell--Reject, specific identification not established I do think that there was most likely a LBBG involved here, but the supporting documentation is not sufficient enough for me.
20 August 2007. Hardy -- Accept The size and dark mantle are diagnostic. The bill description would fit a third-winter bird.	28 January 2009. Hardy--Accept It is confusing that the three descriptions we have note different colors for the bill spot, dark-not red, red, orange, but the remainder of the descriptions are compatible and I believe they are all of the same individual that persisted in the same location for some weeks. The dark mantle and size are diagnostic.
9-2-07. Carlisle -- Accept The description is good .... is there indeed a photo by Terry Gray? Would be nice to see ...	2-3-09. Carlisle--Accept Can't do much with the photos but they do confirm size description ... I am not bothered by the leg color (esp. after having seen a distinctly pink-legged LBBG last winter!) esp. if there was some yellow to it.
09-06-2007. chuck trost -- Accept Description adequate. I was bothered a bit by the leg color, but she did describe a yellow cast to them.	02-02-2009. chuck trost--Accept I think Cass'sighting convinced me more than carol's, assuming it was the same bird. Terry's pictures were too small and fuzzy to be of much help, but it was indeed a dark-backed gull of the right size.
10/2/07. Charles Swift -- Reject, specific identification not established Probably was but I'd like to see further discussion. A fairly minimal report but sufficient (especially in light of other reorts)?? This bird was presumably the same one reported in Clarkston to the WA BRC. Also there may well be a photo as noted on the reort (has Terry been asked?).	2/4/09. Charles Swift--Accept I'm switching my vote to accept. The additional information was helpful and the preponderance of information is that this bird was a Lesser Black-backed (which most 1st round votes agreed regardless of vote). The head streaking noted eliminates Western Gull and the yellow legs eliminate Slaty-backed Gull. The status of this species is changing in the region and based on that as well I'm willing to accept a less than perfect report. This is almost certainly the same bird found in the same period of time in Clarkston which was (I believe) accepted by the WA BRC.