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I went to Smithvile Lake between 10 and 10:30 today and spent about a half hour at the Little Platte Marina trying to get the Mew Gull. I did find one gull there, which looked virtually identical to the bird in frames 12-14 of Linda Williams' set. As in those pix, the bird remained lying down in a nesting position during most of the half hour. It never stood, so I was unable to see its belly or the color of its legs. It was never closer to a Ring-billed Gull than 4-5 feet, so size comparison was difficult, but it did seem slightly smaller. Its primaries were a lighter brown than those first cycle Ring-billed Gulls. It did lift up and fly briefly before settling down again. During that brief flight I was able to see the underparts of a brownish bird whose general appearance was consistant with Linda's pix nos. 10 and 11. What troubled me about the bird was that, unlike Linda's pictures, its mantle was not noticeably darker than the mantles of nearby Ring-bills. (Linda's pix clearly show the darker mantle). I decided that I did not see the bird well enough to identify it positively as a Mew Gull. I had to leave for an appointment, but I'll try again, if the bird sticks around. I did go over the dam and noted 7 female Red-breasted Mergansers and a dozen Horned Grebes at the south end. I also saw an interesting loon near the Little Platte Marina. It was about 3/4s into alternate plumage. It held its bill slightly upward, as a Yellow-billed Loon might. But the bill was not yellow. The bird disappeared before I could scope it. There were quite a few Forster's Terns at the Marina and flying about the lake. Bob Fisher Independence, Missouri [log in to unmask] ------------------------------------------------------------ The Audubon Society of Missouri's Wild Bird Discussion Forum To unsubscribe or change subscription options: https://po.missouri.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mobirds-l&A=1