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Ross's Gull
Rhodostethia rosea
The Ross's Gull (Rhodostethia rosea) is an arctic species that began showing up at Churchill, Manitoba in the late 1970's. It is a slender, small gull with bright red feet and a black collar around its neck. It is certainly one of the most sought after species for birders visiting Churchill. The individuals (two) on this page were photographed at Churchill in June, 1988, with a Minolta X570 & Vivitar 120-600mm F5.6 lens on Kodachrome 200. The camera and lens were hand-held on a BushHawk shoulder mount. These photos are not up to the standards I would expect today, but the best I could do at the time. I certainly hope to get more images of this beautiful creature sometime. Apparently, however, the species has not been seen at Churchill very often in recent years.
I spent two days in Barrow, Alaska, in early October, 2015, hoping to see the famous migration of Ross's Gulls along the coast there. We were not disappointed. In total we observed several thousand migrant Ross's Gulls! It was very windy and very cold and the skys were dark almost the entire time. Photo conditions were tough, the birds were moving fast, usually several hundred feet away, and none landed on the water. I'll post a number of images, which were the best I could do under the conditions.

Ross's Gull
Rhodostethia rosea
immature bird
Barrow,
North Slope Borough,
Alaska
10 October 2015
Ross's Gull
Rhodostethia rosea
Barrow,
North Slope Borough,
Alaska
10 October 2015
Ross's Gull
Rhodostethia rosea
Barrow,
North Slope Borough,
Alaska
10 October 2015
Ross's Gull
Rhodostethia rosea
Barrow,
North Slope Borough,
Alaska
11 October 2015
Ross's Gull
Rhodostethia rosea
Barrow,
North Slope Borough,
Alaska
11 October 2015
Ross's Gull
Rhodostethia rosea
Barrow,
North Slope Borough,
Alaska
11 October 2015
Ross's Gull
Rhodostethia rosea
Barrow,
North Slope Borough,
Alaska
11 October 2015
Ross's Gull
Rhodostethia rosea
Barrow,
North Slope Borough,
Alaska
11 October 2015
Ross's Gull
Rhodostethia rosea
Barrow,
North Slope Borough,
Alaska
11 October 2015
Ross's Gull
Rhodostethia rosea
Barrow,
North Slope Borough,
Alaska
11 October 2015
Ross's Gull
Rhodostethia rosea
Barrow,
North Slope Borough,
Alaska
11 October 2015
Ross's Gull
Rhodostethia rosea
Barrow,
North Slope Borough,
Alaska
11 October 2015
Ross's Gull
Rhodostethia rosea
Barrow,
North Slope Borough,
Alaska
11 October 2015
Ross's Gull
Rhodostethia rosea
Barrow,
North Slope Borough,
Alaska
11 October 2015
Ross's Gull
Rhodostethia rosea
Barrow,
North Slope Borough,
Alaska
11 October 2015
Ross's Gull
Rhodostethia rosea
Barrow,
North Slope Borough,
Alaska
11 October 2015
Ross's Gull
Rhodostethia rosea
Barrow,
North Slope Borough,
Alaska
11 October 2015
Ross's Gull
Rhodostethia rosea
Barrow,
North Slope Borough,
Alaska
11 October 2015
Ross's Gull
Rhodostethia rosea
Barrow,
North Slope Borough,
Alaska
11 October 2015
Ross's Gull
Rhodostethia rosea
Barrow,
North Slope Borough,
Alaska
11 October 2015
Ross's Gull
Rhodostethia rosea
Barrow,
North Slope Borough,
Alaska
11 October 2015
Ross's Gull
Rhodostethia rosea
Barrow,
North Slope Borough,
Alaska
11 October 2015
Ross's Gull
Rhodostethia rosea
Barrow,
North Slope Borough,
Alaska
11 October 2015
Ross's Gull
Rhodostethia rosea
Barrow,
North Slope Borough,
Alaska
11 October 2015
Ross's Gull
Rhodostethia rosea
Barrow,
North Slope Borough,
Alaska
11 October 2015
Ross's Gull
Rhodostethia rosea
Barrow,
North Slope Borough,
Alaska
11 October 2015
Ross's Gull
Rhodostethia rosea
Barrow,
North Slope Borough,
Alaska
11 October 2015
Ross's Gull
Rhodostethia rosea
Barrow,
North Slope Borough,
Alaska
11 October 2015
Ross's Gull
Rhodostethia rosea
Barrow,
North Slope Borough,
Alaska
11 October 2015
Ross's Gull
Rhodostethia rosea
Barrow,
North Slope Borough,
Alaska
11 October 2015