This is unfortunately the best shot of 1 of the 2 juvenile Sabine's Gulls seen briefly on Island 13, Sept. 10, 2003, that I could come away with. These birds were just a little past the realistic reach of my Coolpix. On top of this, trying to take a flight shot handheld through the scope was a frustrating experience. On this underwing shot, the large white area of the inner primaries and secondaries that makes the bold triangle on the upperwing is visible, but barely. The shadow is making the wing linings look a little darker than they actually were. The white throat, lores, and forehead are evident against the darker nape and upper chest mark. These birds appear darker in all of the photos than they actually were. The white blur in the background is a Ring-billed Gull.

Leave it up to me to get an underwing shot of the bird with probably the most distinctive upperwing pattern in the ABA area!