Fig 1) Look at the bird on the left. Note the pale adult gray color above, like Glaucous-winged Gull, and the darker primaries, much closer to Western Gull in shade. Adult Herring Gull on right. Note that Western/Glaucous-winged/ Yellow-footed Gulls usually stand with some secondaries exposed, while this is rarely true of Herring gulls. Malibu Lagoon, Los Angeles County, CA. February 17.

Fig 2) Same bird as above. Adult Western Gull in background (again, note the white skirt of the exposed secondaries).

Fig 3) Apparent fresh second winter bird. This may be a pure Western Gull, as identifying a hybrid can be tricky. Note the bill is still mostly dark, which is not uncommon in Glaucous- winged Gull. August 27, 1996.