Oyster Bay Regional Park, San Leandro, CA
3/19/12

Late 2nd cycle; primaries rule out Gl; could be Gl-W, Gl-W x Gl, or Gl x Herring (Nelson's); bill color looks good for Gl, Herring, but could be Gl-W; bill shape better for Gl or Herring; dark eye this late strongly suggests Gl-W influence; hmm, so we're left with Gl-W or Gl-W x Glaucous (rare, but I've seen several this winter in Davis). Based on the bill shape and color, I'm inclined to go with that. I think I see pale inside the primaries, producing a bleached Thayer's effect, which I've seen in that hybrid before.. It's structurally off for pure Glaucous-winged, having a larger poofier head and, most improtantly, a parallel-sided bill. The bill also has a lot of pink on it, atypical of second-cycle Glaucous-winged. The primaries are too dark for Glaucous, more like Glaucous-winged.