Northern gulls continue to trickle in on southern Lake Michigan with continued sightings of Lesser Black-backeds and Thayer's Gulls in the second half of October.
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| Lesser Black-backed (4th cycle type). New Buffalo, Michigan. 25 October 2014. |
From the open wing photo, it appears the two outer primaries and visible secondaries are retained 3rd generation feathers, hence this bird would be undergoing its 4th prebasic molt:
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| P1-P8 are 4th Basic. Renewal of secondaries far from complete. |
I had very brief looks at this 1st cycle Thayer's Gull before it picked up and flew out on the lake:
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| Thayer's Gull (juvenile). New Buffalo, Michigan. 25 October 2014. |
Any day I'm able to find a banded gull - and actually record the entire nine-digit sequence - is a success! Now for today's highlight:
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| American Herring Gull (adult). New Buffalo, Michigan. 25 October 2014. Band #1106-15613. |
It was banded as a chick while too young to fly (14 June 2010) on Chamber Island in Wisconsin.
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| The red pin is Chamber Island in far north Green Bay, Wisconsin (just a rock's throw from Michigan waters along the south-central border of the UP). |
There's no doubt in my mind that many of the Herrings that breed on the small islands in Door County, Wisconsin, migrate south to New Buffalo, Michigan.
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| Bill deeply tinged with pink. Is this a reliable mark that suggests a "young" adult Herring? Do older adults show this? |
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| P9 two-thirds grown (no mirror). P10 one-third grown (relatively small mirror). Note the "fake" mirror at the base of P9. |
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| No sub-adult markings on primary coverts, alula or tail. P5 with full subterminal band. |
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| Banded Herring (left). 4th cycle type LBBG and adult type Herring (right). |
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| P5-P7 with insignificant white tongue tips. |
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| Of course the lighting on the water was harsh. This was the best upperwing shot I could manage. |
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