01 March 2017

Monthly Notables February 2017

  • Ross's Gull (1st cycle). Franklin County, New York. 01 February 2017.
    • Continued from January. Last seen 02 February 2017. An unknown observer reported seeing the bird on Simon Pond on 23 February 2017.
  • Ivory Gull (1st cycle). Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon County, Alaska. 01 February 2017.
  • Kumlien's Gull (1st cycle). Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon County, Alaska. 03 February 2017.
  • Thayer's Gull (adult). Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia. 04 February 2017.
  • Kamchatka Gull (adult). Digby County, Nova Scotia. 04 February 2017.
    • Possibly a returning bird from last winter.
  • Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Linconln County, Oregon. 04 February 2017.
  • Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Grays Harbor County, Washington. 04 February 2017.
  • Ross's Gull (adult). Washington County, Rhode Island. 04 February 2017.
  • Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Erie County, Pennsylvania. 05 February 2017.
    • Continuing from late January 2017.
  • Kumlien's Gull (1st cycle). Lincoln County, Oregon. 06 February 2017.
  • Slaty-backed Gull (adult type). Nanaimo County, British Columbia. 07 February 2017.
  • Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. 13 February 2017.
  • Laughing Gull (1st cycle). San Mateo County, California. 18 February 2017.
  • Lesser Black-backed Gull (adult). San Mateo County, California. 19 February 2017.
  • Common Gull (adult). Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. 20 February 2017.
  • Black-tailed Gull (1st cycle). Monterey County, California. 22 February 2017.
    • January bird. Relocated after going missing on 18 January 2017.
  • Vega Gull (adult). Volusia County, Florida. 23 February 2017.
    • 3rd occurrence for Daytona Beach Shores.
  • Slaty-backed Gull (adult & 2nd cycle). San Mateo County, California. 25 February 2017.
  • Black-tailed Gull (1st cycle). San Mateo County, California. 25 February 2017.
    • Photos revealed this to be the same individual first found last month some 80 miles to the south in Monterey County.
  • Lesser Black-backed Gull (2nd cycle). San Mateo County, California. 25 February 2017.
    • A first cycle found here a few days later on 27 February 2017.
  • Common Gull (adult). Essex County, Massachusetts. 25 February 2017.
    • Sporting a metal band of its right leg, this individual was banded in Iceland in 2013. Some 2500 miles from its banding location, #581641 was still being seen at King's Beach as of 28 February 2017. 

Notes:

  • On 20 February 2017, Donna Martin recorded an unexpected video of an adult Kumlien's Gull attempting to woo an adult Herring Gull. The Kumlien's was performing obvious courtship behaviors (head tossing, calling with mock-regurgitation). There are no known records of Herring and Iceland Gull hybridizing, and this pre-breeding behavior appears to be the first of its kind to be documented.
  • San Mateo County, California lived up to its reputation of being a winter gull magnet. On 25 February 2017, 14 species were recorded with highlights being 2 Slaty-backed Gulls and the 1st cycle Black-tailed Gull that was first found in Monterey County last month. The county now has a whopping 22 gull species to boast about, not counting Vega Herring. 
  • Worthy of mention in the February notes is the banded adult Common Gull from Essex County, Massachusetts (see above). This report confirms what many of us already suspect - a presence of gulls from the far North Atlantic wintering in North America.  
at