I smelled trouble stirring early last week when I read the weekend forecast calling for upper 40-degree temperatures in the Chicago area. Both Saturday and Sunday made it above 50F, with a high of 54 degrees recorded on southern Lake Michigan today (14 Dec 2014). To top it off, overcast skies dominated all of Saturday and most of the day Sunday.
Despite a notable absence of gulls at some of our better gull-watching sites, I still managed to see all five of our winter species with a bit of effort!
Saturday: 13 Dec 2014; Rainbow Beach, Chicago, IL.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLGpTB0hr-4fTzuTWf9cnvaUp_iEpxuvjK5YaiWG-lfWt3d5rq5I2igVzhg9OJYArs68JDQIeC6PA-nQqNDg11UTILmG1CJLEKW3YNqPj8q9myoxREpfL7hl-uzBzyXAlKDoM2hFs3bl-b/s1600/DSC_2063.JPG) |
GBBG (adult type). |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq2BTjdT1J8-z_q4F9kBYss97O8DYkSVXzMManHYINU64RqcMsyjbnaWYEETCq0D_PNTGMf9Cazsf6kDRgRmLYkA3L9ODw8CkeMD8faVUi5jFB0q-2vJgQQzCZa4iBsAwNQqMFB17UEP7P/s1600/gbbg+post+3.jpg) |
GBBG (adult type). |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZzcSHPn1uTcfF4BIh_siO-TDz6Mxl1QW0PQ74mf0JxYL-B-eNqwz4r5kgw5EczhumUpPAe7tAZz1WuxxUzigDhTxeoFRIyLgPigvCsVS8YFKzHxok2U9wPnYDOxDw4vZzyOycSITiVEfE/s1600/DSC_1970.JPG) |
LBBG (2nd cycle type). |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYRCplcfFExaxlVBhsa0IpFSTPyq6pFi3ff8rTh3Co-x9uYB-Wpez-bqU9MBSWZpXSRJiSElNoDjZTbHErKaI7wzFLr1z9c3lsdl6nXBWLnYlmJHE5QPtLQVijYaMuoug5wgl3HCjMT9lY/s1600/DSC_2299.JPG) |
LBBG (2nd cycle). |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibxLKvT7PwiIjvS_6JQCjCvwATJQSKHFkVC053akszMpNfUp32PMiFzrO01eHu4X0IOMkjzMlMTfPEs1aWTmFG7Yrxx8ukIeaMN6fyI8kE1ixlhZHNVIlApw3REbJc-jMe2DU5KQnNO__1/s1600/DSC_2515.JPG) |
LBBG (2nd cycle) with Ring-billed (adult) and Herring (1st cycle). |
Sunday: 14 Dec 2014; Whiting, IN.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWKHiZA9JSxCgBjtiq_bnA86hjEPBIH_7N7QedFz-qgh7bR-LV7WEDxRvjL0S3lKwhciKGrE0yL9CIzmUDVhenu5W6JmDGW5kERBaMfzaBMG-BGE_TYBAaDcI0ef7mmAKsxvGbHXXVsS_J/s1600/DSC_3311.JPG) |
GLGU (2nd cycle). |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnoUbhSUqoNd_byy2Fb_pklG-5tAq8MVuGQkYLfc5PltrNjWICZgl7kwYHaTgNEw3knJRhjP8s-GAKKHPNjyfVdrNdnKHyQu3dFRj4ILRj3iAQMKKIlOMWGm9D8a1o6tj0AsNuvRP9Uhoc/s1600/DSC_3345.JPG) |
GLGU (2nd cycle) with adult type Herring. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7TVAvluZs2MvLE73ylVPAUUoN6wXbL0iqr82ieeE_NBlTFDOeFORwmZMd_HOUE251lkJrZ3hmKKPH0oj90gIeBlFUb6dYA-SiwLaLvmYaw14671EuxUTCcnaQSI2pBbtqmlMFGw0YenHi/s1600/DSC_3433.JPG) |
GLGU (2nd cycle). |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2NtAq-gFZiTHEDRQZjJaUA1sYwXdqt7z4a-UIS8rtktb4q36p72EE9gjRIJAZSvc9qSMW9yWHtKE4oBXOQ7XONvJienTI7H3DDvkyZh5OHb9jlZ9JUYUva2cevp5vslbBwhQMkxw4Mv6O/s1600/DSC_3463.JPG) |
GLGU (2nd cycle). |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoe4C0ZwVIZAbAuuWapplwTk2kkc0quvnuocMW89BpwljUZ0RaiI7SqUTskF3F3QGFG6N8BY9qBnCySKvsxgBGyvmFxdbCI0R-Ozvc_wJUn3eAsPFiIdra8ivNXteJisxEcHt-UgkcuHZ3/s1600/DSC_3394.JPG) |
GLGU (2nd cycle) with HERGs. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg957w1RRZh5pndWOC0buS93T0gVyABu6OEvy7rNsztiZFfJQgISxvavND_eSNnN4nX_C_0sDP38xBb9ilUzxP15X7Kr0yTKmVZA_Txcl9UBzLGuu_vpCPdCMNoJMKxKCykAPI7Se_uK8K/s1600/DSC_2975.JPG) |
A heavy-billed, dusky-eyed 3rd/4th cycle type Thayer's Gull. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1R7vYv-cWaWvvfOEB9nVpDOecrouPMUg3MnNWc0_EubdGumpBbc-DdFK89zRgnDOAx8skbzHaVgxOj-EKY8Q2ABirYHTFsu2Rs7HFlDBllOjEygpPDrFmRsmPKKpE0w1Q1SCebk0wI3Pf/s1600/DSC_2852.JPG) |
THGU (3rd/4th cycle type). |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1KMt47bUHvpS2Evq_3tfWWgw93Vf4hftqElyCPY55m93Ct6UABCRrt3GUoOKXYlLARe1bgiMx2FkGKd8riBg3DggAxsUPBCZdSqfMwZXYAgRcGdiOyWpDOr3BnI19dvk_0VsyiNn6K-Hp/s1600/DSC_3115.JPG) |
Thayer's (3rd/4th cycle type) on far left, with 3 Herrings on right. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjThxiXB9JM9-NDLUOebQIFZ8i4kWoqe9jFdeD9vlzH-SISRiNcM6zj39-qkJs_qrnoWKe-3fbipCZqmvGEYLtFMxW-NopLEx4vHlYjHT9XgyCq6cIO4g_j0YN_ndnDDkbidOsTD0Jg0CSk/s1600/DSC_3029.JPG) |
THGU (3rd/4th cycle type) with similar-aged HERG (right) and adult type HERG (left).
A shot of both the sub-adult Thayer's and the Glaucous in one frame...not the best photo, but it captures the day's highlights for me:
Here's a nice hatch year Ring-billed to conclude this post. Note how well it's holding on to its juvenile flank, chest and neck feathers. Most similar-aged RBGU's have for some time now shown mostly whitish feathers here, with variable streaking on the head and hindneck that's not as extensive as this:
RBGU (1st cycle).
RBGU (1st cycle).
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