10 November 2013

Two Little Gulls: Carlyle Lake

Dan Kassebaum, Leroy Harrison and myself had two Little Gulls at the Carlyle Sewage Ponds yesterday. Not bad considering this is a review species in Illinois.

Little Gull (1st cycle). Clinton Co, IL. 09 November 2013.
While we watched this bird for most of the morning, another one snuck in between 10:30-10:45 am. It was quickly picked out by Carlyle Lake guru Dan Kassebaum.:

Little Gull (1st cycle). Clinton Co, IL. 09 November 2013.
The best way to tell them apart is in flight (see the tailband, for instance). I don't remember the last time 2 Littles were reported in Illinois and so we were totally stoked.

Doc shot of 2 LIGUs (left) with 2 BOGUs (right).
Also of interest was a flock of 18 Franklin's Gulls with a posturing Laughing Gull (adult) among them. Here's the Laughing Gull as it came right in, asking to be made famous:

Adult Laughing Gull. Clinton Co, IL. 09 November 2013.
Carlyle Lake is perhaps the most reliable place to see LAGU in Illinois (Dan has records for every month of the year, and it seems every time I read his reports one is being seen). Also a regular straggler at Carlyle of late is Lesser Black-backed Gull (first summer birds - 2nd plumage cycle - in particular). Here's a rather raggedy sub-adult, still completing it's prebasic molt:

Lesser Black-backed Gull (4th cycle type). Clinton Co, IL. 09 November 2013.

Franklin's Gull (adult type). Clinton Co, IL. 09 November 2013.

American Herring Gull (3rd cycle type). Clinton Co, IL. 09 November 2013.