Gull and Wader

[jsi]

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_6-JHogjgx_I/TXoSc8Rws9I/AAAAAAAABO8/E9wr13uJopM/s800/_3112116.jpg

I'm pretty sure this is a Steppe, yes?

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_6-JHogjgx_I/TXoSQhJ8AuI/AAAAAAAABOw/YZFsZPMgE5Q/s800/_3112048.jpg

Some waders over here continue to drive me nuts. Sorry for the quality of the pic, but the leftmost one is?

John

[MarkS]

Hi John,

The gull looks good for Steppe. The head is quite rounded, the eye dark and the white mirror on the underside of the primaries looks OK. As with most gulls, this comes with the proviso "probably".

As for the wader: Ruff. They come in a multitude of plumage variations, but always look pot-bellied and small-headed.

[jsi]

Thanks Mark -

Gulls...... yeah....... most should have the ksm tag (kinda sorta maybe) attached to them even in good viewing conditions.

As for the d**mned Ruff, I've been watching them here and there for five weeks now, and each is just enough different from the other and from the books to shred what little is left of my taxonomic acuity.

John