Santee Lakes - 12/23/13 - IDs needed

This bird was confirmed as a 1st winter Herring Gull. Mouse over this text for more info.

I Id'd this bird by the size and shape of the bill. Light base and dark tip to the bill. Size of the bird in comparison to the Ring-billed that were also around. Pink legs. And the markings on the plumage - dark primary tips and tail and some of the lighter coloring on the rest.

This bird also confirmed as a first winter Herring Gull, with a large bill.

Confirmed as first winter Herring Gull

Confirmed as a Mew Gull. Info provided on IDing this bird was to note the dark underside and the darker slim bill. (I also had a photo like this of a Ring-billed it was compared to. Lighter underside on that one, and bill was a bit thicker).