Featured Highlights January 2026

Welcome to Featured Highlights, January 2026. This video series aims to highlight ideas found in The Gull Guide - North America. I'll be expanding on and detailing concepts you're reading about in the book, beginning with establishing a foundation for molt and plumage, and hopefully apply some of these ideas to identification. 

Video 12 tackles the subject of aging individuals that appear adult-like, overall, but with some imperfections. For such birds, we use the terms "adult type" or "subadult" to qualify what we're seeing. There are other terms in circulation that can be found in the literature, which are also discussed in this video. Enjoy!

Click on thumbnail above and watch in HD

Requests and Suggestions to thegullguide@gmail.com

December 2025 Monthly Notables

Sightings:

• Short-billed Gull (adult). Grant County, Wisconsin. 01 December 2025.
• Short-billed Gull (adult). Dubuque County, Iowa. 03 December 2025.
• Same individual from Grant County, WI.
• Black-headed Gull (adult). Cuyahoga County, Ohio. 06 December 2025.
• Franklin's Gull (adult). Elkhart County, Indiana. 07 December 2025.
• Gray Gull (adult type). Sarasota County, Florida. 07 December 2025.
• Apparently, the same individual from Walton County.
• Vega Gull (1st cycle). Midway Islands, US. 10 December 2025.
• Midway Atoll NWR - Eastern Island
• Taimyr Gull (adult). Sonoma County, California. 10 December 2025.
• Returning adult.
• Little Gull (1st cycle). Alachua County, Florida. 10 December 2025.
• Short-billed Gull (adult). Rock Island County, Illinois. 10 December 2025.
• Short-billed Gull (adult). Scott County, Iowa. 10 December 2025.
• Same individual from Rock Island County, IL.
• Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Benton County, Washington. 10 December 2025.
• Continuing.
• California Gull (adult). St. John's County, NL.12 December 2025.
• Continuing
• Franklin's Gull (adult). Lincoln County, Oregon. 12 December 2025.
• Glaucous-winged Gull (1st cycle). Niagara County, New York. 15 December 2025.
• 3rd State Record. 1st Niagara River Record.
• Glaucous-winged Gull (1st cycle). Niagara County, Ontario. 15 December 2025.
• Same individual from NY.
• Black-headed Gull (1st cycle). Lincoln County, Oregon. 16 December 2025. 
  
• Short-billed Gull (adult). New York County, New York. 19 December 2025.
• Presumably a returning individual.
• Vega Gull (adult). Cameron County, Texas. 20 December 2025.
• Presumably a returning adult.
• Glaucous-winged Gull (adult). Franklin County, Illinois. 20 December 2025.
• Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Will County, Illinois. 21 December 2025. 
• Short-billed Gull (2nd cycle). Middlesex County, New Jersey. 21 December 2025.
• 1ST STATE RECORD.
• Glaucous-winged Gull (adult). Clinton County, Illinois. 22 December 2025.
• Likely same bird from Franklin County, IL.
• Slaty-backed Gull (adult type). Macomb County, Michigan. 22 December 2025.
• Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Dubuque County, Iowa. 26 December 2025.
• Very likely the same individual from Will County, IL.
• Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Grant County, Wisconsin. 27 December 2025.
• Same individual from Dubuque County, IA
• Kamchatka Gull (adult). Nantucket County, Massachusetts. 28 December 2025.
• Returning adult.
• Short-billed Gull (adult & 2nd cycle). Oklahoma County, Oklahoma. 30 December 2025.
• Vega Gull (3rd cycle). Los Angeles County, California. 31 December 2025.
• Apparently, last year's then 2nd cycle has returned.

Notes:

1. An adult three-cycle gull, apparently from the Common Gull complex, was recorded in St. Charles County, Missouri on 07 December 2025. Originally suspected of being a Short-billed Gull, this individual showed unusually dark upperparts and a wingtip pattern that suggests an Old World taxon situated between Larus canus kamtschatschensis and Larus canus heinei. No identification has been made as the images are difficult to interpret. In any event, it is an extraordinary bird that should likely constitute a 1st State Record "Common Gull". See plates 17A.27-17A.28 in The Gull Guide for comparison.

November 2025 Monthly Notables

Sightings:

• California Gull (adult). Logan County, Ohio. 02 November 2025.
• Laughing Gull (3rd cycle type). Clallam County, Washington. 03 November 2025.
• Little Gull (adult). Klickitat County, Washington & Sherman County, Oregon. 07 November 2025.
• Little Gull (adult). Davis County, Utah. 10 November 2025.
• Thayer's Gull (adult). La Matanie County, Quebec. 10 November 2025.
• Little Gull (1st cycle). Hamilton County, Tennessee. 12 November 2025.
• California Gull (1st cycle). Marquette County, Michigan. 13 November 2025.
• Black-legged Kittiwake (adult). Jefferson County, Kansas. 19 November 2025.
• Gray Gull (adult type). Walton County, Florida. 20 November 2025.
• Black-legged Kittiwake (1st cycle). Saskatoon County, Saskatchewan. 22 November 2025.
• Short-billed Gull (adult). Crawford County, Arkansas. 23 November 2025.
• Black-legged Kittiwake (1st cycle). Seminole County, Florida. 23 November 2025.
• 1st County Record.
• Little Gull (adult). San Luis Obispo County, California. 23 November 2025.
• Yellow-footed Gull (adult). San Francisco County, California. 24 November 2025.
• California Gull (adult). St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador. 27 November 2025.
• Continuing 1st Province Record from last month.

Notes:

1. Pueblo County, Colorado is again hosting an adult Great Black-backed Gull for the 32nd year. It's presumed this is a returning bird, named Murray, although there is probably no way to be positively sure.
2. A site record high of 66 Short-billed Gulls was recorded on Southeast Farallon Island in San Francisco County on 23 November 2025.
3. A state high of 848 Lesser Black-backed Gulls was recorded at Findlay Reservoirs in Hancock County, Ohio on 20 November 2025. 

October 2025 Monthly Notables

Sightings:

• Little Gull (adult). Lyman County, South Dakota. 03 October 2025.
• Slaty-backed Gull (adult type). North Slope Borough, Alaska. 07 October 2025.
• California Gull (adult). Berrien County, Michigan. 10 October 2025.
• Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Grant County, Washington. 12 October 2025.
• Continuing.
• Great Black-backed Gull (adult type). Keith County, Nebraska. 13 October 2025.
• Continuing.
• Little Gull (1st cycle). Stafford County, Kansas. 13 October 2025.
• Largely juvenile.
• Common Gull (adult). Knox County, Maine. 14 October 2025.
• California Gull (4th cycle type). Cape May County, New Jersey. 14 October 2025.
• Lesser Black-backed Gull (adult type). King County, Washington. 15 October 2025.
• Present since June 2024.
• Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Sitka City & Borough, Alaska. 16 October 2025.
• California Gull (adult). St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador. 17 October 2025.
• A long overdue 1ST PROVINCE RECORD.
• Gray Gull (adult type). Walton County, Florida. 27 October 2025.
• Positive reports all month.
• Short-billed Gull (adult). Clay County, Missouri. 29 October 2025.
• 4th State Record.

Featured Highlights November 2025

Welcome to Featured Highlights, November 2025. This video series aims to highlight ideas found in The Gull Guide - North America. I'll be expanding on and detailing concepts you're reading about in the book, beginning with establishing a foundation for molt and plumage, and hopefully apply some of these ideas to identification. 

An obvious element of gull ID rests in how we perceive and describe the varied patterns found in their plumages, particularly their upperparts. This is not unique to gulls, but it seems to weigh on beginners as they familiarize themselves with the creative words used in the literature. Video 11 discusses some of the patterns that we find on the scapulars, wing coverts and tertials of young, large-whited gulls in 1st cycle.

Click on thumbnail above and watch in HD

Requests and Suggestions to thegullguide@gmail.com

Featured Highlights October 2025

Welcome to Featured Highlights, October 2025. This video series aims to highlight ideas found in The Gull Guide - North America. I'll be expanding on and detailing concepts you're reading about in the book, beginning with establishing a foundation for molt and plumage, and hopefully apply some of these ideas to identification. 

Vega Gull is now treated as a full species by most taxonomies around the world, and this has resulted in increased interest in their identification. Video 10 discusses some of the caveats and pitfalls in identifying 1st cycles, comparing them largely to our more expected American Herring Gull 

Click on thumbnail above and watch in HD.

                                                 

Requests and suggestions can be forwarded to thegullguide@gmail.com

September 2025 Monthly Notables

Sightings:

• Laughing Gull (adult type). Humboldt County, California 01 September 2025.
• Continuing from last month.
• Little Gull (1st cycle). El Paso County, Texas. 06 September 2025.
• Black-tailed Gull (adult type). La Nouvelle-Beauce County, Quebec.13 September 2025.
• 2nd Province Record. 
• Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Metro Vancouver District, British Columbia. 20 September 2025.
• Black-headed Gull (adult type). Potter County, Texas. 20 September 2024.
• Kelp Gull (adult). Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. 20 September 2025.
• Moving about various locations in Milwaukee this month.
• Yellow-footed Gull (1st cycle). Sierra County, New Mexico. 22 September 2025.
• Continuing from last month.
• Little Gull (2-1st cycles). Nobles County, Minnesota. 24 September 2025.
• Great Black-backed Gull (adult type). Keith County, Nebraska. 25 September 2025.
• Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Grant/Benton/Franklin Counties, Washington. 25 September 2025.
• Returning adult, first detected in the winter of 2015-2016.
• Gray Gull (adult type). Walton County, Florida. 30 September 2025.
• Returning individual from summer of 2023, continuing all month.