Robbie Brown from Phillip Island and I have just returned from a week in
Broome. Very dry until the day we left (Monday 4th) when Cyclone Chris
passed by. Strongish winds but nowhere near gale force, but the rain had
well and truly set in.
We spent part of the last morning at Entrance Point near the wharf in
Broome. We saw an unusual gull that is superficially an aberrant adult non
breeding Silver Gull but it has a very long bill, no windows in the
primaries, a wide white leading edge to the primaries (like a Black-headed
Gull) and a white outer iris. there is a good chance that this bird was
not a Silver Gull but a Slender-billed Gull (Larus genei). This would be a
new bird for Australia.
I have written up the details that I have so far on my web site. Go to the
Articles section.
I welcome any comments. I am hoping that the bird will hang around and
that someone in Broome will get some photographs and some more details.
We also got photographs of the "Kelp Gull" first seen by George Swann at
Entrance Point on 28th December 2001. The exact identity of this bird has
not been confirmed. I will be writing up my details this weekend, and I
will scan some of my photographs for my web site when I get them back next
week.
Along with the Sabine's Gull reported by Chris Hassell on the 14th December
2001, this makes three unusual gulls found in Broome in the last two months.
___________________________________________________________________
Frank O'Connor Birding WA http://members.iinet.net.au/~foconnor
Phone : (08) 9386 5694 Email :
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