Slaty-backed Gull in Cook County
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'Casual' in Minnesota - First record for Cook County in the Spring season

Ken Hoffman reported that he and Molly saw a gull in Grand Marais, Cook Co, they identified as an adult Slaty-backed Gull. It was seen on Jul 21 at about 6 pm on the East Bay side of town.

They based their ID on the gull's dark pink legs (i.e., darker than on Herring Gull), overall size similar to that of Herring Gull (i.e., too small for Great Black-backed), and broad white trailing edge to the blackish upper wing surface seen in flight.

The bird was present along the gravel beach on the East Bay side of town, near the Shoreline Motel.

Additional images

Photo by David Cahlander, 2006 July 22. EOS-1D II N, 500mm f/4, 1.4x II f/8, 1/500 sec, ISO-250