This stunning, nearly pure white Bonaparte's Gull was seen by Dr. Dan Cristol and his William and Mary biology class and me on March 26th in a flooded field in James City County during a heavy rain storm. Hundreds of gulls and hundreds of Wilson's Snipes were also enjoying the scene. Michelle Gianvecchio then re-found the gull on March 30th and got these great close photos. The bill shows reddish coloration, instead of the usual black, apparently further demonstrating the bird's inability to produce the proper pigments. I'm not aware of a similar-looking Bonaparte's in Virginia, though there are internet photos of a similar bird in Connecticut in 2013, thought to be either Black-headed Gull or Bonaparte's, as size apparently couldn't be accurately determined. Comments welcome...send to taberzz@aol.com.
Brian Taber
