Gray-hooded Gull chase

So this morning I finally had some free time to chase the Gray-hooded Gull on Coney Island, first found July 24 and relocated this past weekend (see this NY Times article). By the time I got the kids in the car, it was already late, but two hours later we rolled across the Verrazano Bridge and down to Coney Island. We walked out onto the boardwalk and spotted the crowd of birders down near the Wonder Wheel at the end of 12th Street. And there was the bird. Sitting on a pole. Calm as can be, with people standing 40 feet away. I didn't have a good camera, so all I could get were these few pics through my Android phone.

After 10 minutes of enjoying the bird, the kids were ready for something else, and since we were already at the beach...

On the way back to the car later the gull was on top of the restrooms at the end of 12th Street.

One last pic just to get the feel for the day.

This is only the second Gray-hooded Gull reported from North America. Normally found in South America and Africa, the first North American record came from Florida in 1998 (pdf). If you aren't satisfied with my photos of this current rarity, there are plenty of better shots online from folks with real cameras :-)

Additional posts about this bird:
Anything Larus
PEEPS
Birding Dude
A DC Birding Blog




.