This first-cycle "herring gull" was photographed at close range at the Larimer County landfill on 1 January 2012 during the Loveland Christmas Bird Count. This bird (or a similar one) has been seen off and on loafing with the afternoon gull flock at Lake Loveland throughout December 2011.
The strong checkered appearance of the wing panel, and the barring of the scapulars is atypical of Larus argentatus smithsonianus, American Herring Gull. The tail appears all dark from above, but is pale based from below (not photographed). Could this be one of the Eurasian "herring gulls" such as L. a. vegae, Vega Gull, or perhaps a hybrid American x Vega? The tail may be too dark for Vega or any other Old World taxon. Given the variation in plumage of 1st-cycle "herring gulls", it may be impossible to precisely identify this bird beyond Larus argentatus.
