May is usually the month we begin to notice primary molt in our Herrings and Ring-billeds on southern Lake Michigan. First and second cycles generally precede older conspecifics in their prebasic molts by a month or so.
Roughly half of the 1st and 2nd cycles that I observed yesterday showed 1-3 dropped inner primaries:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqrdyvbH0lEAef65Xm9051XFwpa1_iNFd8PkJfSFl8zzjt7cvSqWk3zGYylwUl_00DFhryn_U7KSslive2R7pGa-jPJdM0cofElOVkKNuCNhl-6-Yxdv_RgFmL-xCl7s4nR9k6rRjoPKV1/s1600/DSC_6384.JPG) |
Herring Gull (1st summer). P1-P2 dropped and hence the 2nd prebasic molt has commenced. Chicago, IL. 02 May 2015. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Jd7LiAk-4ANBY18VZVsukO0RPYc2ryG6TzqMue81TaVSmDT1Z0JSQGgY9jvvmcSaTu0u8fBcIIPIKElt2SDJaByiRUlVIHJMEMetEHKdQGqrOHW1uFXRQzLX_mvILrBSGeSqwrWh_96c/s1600/DSC_6313.JPG) |
Herring Gull (2nd summer). P1-P3 dropped and hence the 3rd prebasic molt has commenced. Chicago, IL. 02 May 2015. |