Franklin's and Laughing Gulls

Here we have a nice flock of loafing gulls, soaking up sun on a winter day. Most of these are Laughing Gulls, but in the blue frame, which is detailed below, we have a good comparison.

Here we have two interesting birds.  One, the one in back, is interesting because it's a Franklin's Gull.  Franklin's are always fun to look for in Laughing Gull flocks, and I always feel I'll find one if I search hard enough.  For about half the year, that seems to work.  Sometimes I start to think I've got a Franklin's only to admit defeat when the bird turns its head.  At this time of year a lot of Laughers have a pseudo-Franklin's look to them, with sort of dark-capped head patterns.  The bird in front is a good representative of that look, though not as extreme as some.  I even saw a Laugher with a full but patchy hood the other day.  With a good enough look, the darker hood and smaller head of the Franklin's is obvious.  When you really see one, you know it.