YELLOW-LEGGED GULL MOLTING INTO 3RD WINTER PLUMAGE

   We can ID this gull as a Yellow-legged Gull molting into its 3rd winter plumage as follows:

• Medium-gray back, darker than Herring Gulls and lighter than Lesser Black-backed Gulls.
• The legs have both pink and yellow coloring.
• The bill is mostly black, but has a yellow tip and some yellow on the lower mandible near the base.  It is gradually turning into the yellow bill with black ring of the 3rd winter gull.  Also, bill has strongly curved tip.
• Thick neck and round head.
• Yellow Iris.
• Light gray head with some white areas.  Neck is more whitish with some barring.
• White vent.

   The Yellow-legged Gull is a new species to our Photographic Life List, which now stands at 959.