Bountiful Dump

["Colby Neuman" <scythebill83 at hotmail dot com>]

I spent a couple of hours sifting through the gulls at the Bountiful Dump 
today.  I ended up seeing the following:

Ring-billed Gull - 1000's
California Gull - 100's
Herring Gull - 100's of all ages
Thayer's Gull - several first winter birds and a couple of adults
Glaucous Gull - 1 adult
Glaucous-winged/Western Hybrid - 1 second winter - had a mostly dark bill 
with a pale area beginning to appear near the base (especially on the lower 
mandible), light gray mantle, and the head, coverts, tertials and primaries 
were dirty brown.
Glaucous-winged Gull type (pure?) - 1 first winter - the bird had a large 
gony angle and a mostly dark bill, the head was paler than the rest of the 
body with the scapulars, coverts and tertials containing a pattern similar 
(but a little more worn and muddy overall) to the very bottom bird at the 
following website: 
http://www.amazilia.net/images/Birds/Gulls/GlaucouswingGull.htm  It did not 
appear that the primaries were any darker than the scapulars, coverts and 
tertials, which suggests that the bird in question may have only 
Glaucous-winged Gull genes in its blood.

Does anyone know when a second winter Lesser Black-backed Gull obtains its 
slate gray mantle or how long a LBBG can retain brown scapular feathers from 
its previous molt?

Colby

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