An adult Ross's Gull was found this afternoon (April 29) by local birder Edmund Hayden at Torbay, Newfoundland.
Ed has been finding all sorts of great birds this year. Most notably with multiple European Golden-Plovers, and a rare (first?) spring record of Red Phalarope for Newfoundland.
Perhaps more notably though are his abilities of observing and describing birds even if they elude identification. This morning when he first saw the Ross's Gull he didn't know what it was but the did the right thing of studying the bird and posting a description to the local birding forum.
Here's part of his description:
"It has white undertail coverts, gray mantle, dark underwings and a dark beak thicker than a Red-necked Phalarope, though I couldn't detect a pale base. And the tail is slightly pointed".
As soon as I read that, Ross's Gull came to mind. But I dismissed it knowing how rare and unlikely it was. Bruce Mactavish was the next key player. After reading the description he drove straight to Torbay and the rest is history.
What a week this is turning out to be!!!
