01 September 2015

August 2015 Quiz




This month's birds all appear to be 1st cycles. A close look at the various feather tracts suggests some new feathers have recently molted in, while other feathers are old and worn. The overall appearance is that of 1st summer gulls.

Immediately, a striking size difference is noted with the leftmost bird appearing the largest. The huge body and head, coupled with its dark back and white body is hard to confuse for anything other than a Great Black-backed Gull. 

The middle gull is comparatively "medium" in size, and its plumage pattern/color look pretty typical of a 1st summer Herring - this variable age class will often show polka dot spotting on the newer, 2nd generation wing coverts as is seen here.

Finally, the smallest of the three gulls has a mostly black bill, white head and darker, more solidly-filled wing coverts and tertials. It has long wings with an attenuated look to the rear - a classic 1st summer Lesser Black-backed Gull shape.

This photo nicely demonstrates the general size differences between these 3 species when comparing same sexes.

 Provincetown, Massachusetts. 19 July 2015.

Monthly Notables August 2015

August 2015 Notables
  • Glaucous Gull (2nd cycle type). Grays Harbor County, Washington. 01 August 2015.
  • Ross's Gull (adult type). Les Escoumins, Quebec. 4-6 August 2015.
    • Exceptional. The farthest south a ROGU has ever been observed in August in North America. 
  • Iceland Gull (1st cycle). Les Basques County, Quebec. 04 August 2015.
  • Lesser Black-backed Gull (3rd cycle). Humboldt County, California. 07 August 2015.
    • Interestingly, a 2nd cycle LBBG was sighted at this same location last year in the month of August, resembling this month's bird in size and structure. Hence, it's thought this is a returning bird. Subspecies has been relegated to the expected North American race, graellsii. Lesser Black-backeds found along the Pacific seaboard should be closely scrutinized and Asian taxa must not be dismissed.
  • Laughing Gull (juvenile). Jefferson County, Kentucky. 11 August 2015. 
  • Glaucous Gull (2nd cycle type). Manitowoc County, Wisconsin. 13 August 2015.
  • Glaucous Gull (2nd cycle type). Muskegon County, Michigan. 13 August 2015.
    • Likely the same bird noted in Wisconsin the day before, traversing Lake Michigan.
  • Sabine's Gull (adult). Williamson County, Texas. 14 August 2015.
  • Mew Gull (juvenile). Humboldt County, California. 19 August 2015.
    • Several experienced birders from the West Coast suspect there may be a poorly understood movement of Mew Gulls in the month of August - juveniles in particular. 
  • Sabine's Gull (adult type). Minidoka County, Idaho. 19 August 2015.
  • Little Gull (juvenile). Mason County, Illinois. 21 August 2015.
  • Franklin's Gull (adult type). Baltimore County, Maryland. 21 August 2015.
  • Yellow-legged Gull (4th cycle type). St. John's, Newfoundland. 23 August 2015.
  • Sabine's Gull (adult). Hamilton, Ontario. 23 August 201
  • Franklin's Gull (juvenile). Sarnia, Ontario. 23-29+ August 2015.
  • Sabine's Gull (adult). Maricopa County, Arizona. 25 August 2015.
  • Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Pierce County, Washington. 29 August 2015.
  • Mew Gull (juvenile). Lincoln County, Oregon. 30 August 2015.
    • An early arrival, but also noted here to reinforce the thought that juvenile Mew Gulls may depart sooner, and farther south, than adults.
  • Sabine's Gull (2 adult types). Barnstable County, Massachusetts. 31 August 2015.