01 September 2026

August 2026 Monthly Notables

Sightings:

  • Laughing Gull (3rd cycle type). Yolo County, California. 02 August 2026.
  • Ross's Gull (2nd cycle). St. Paul Island, Alaska. 08 August 2026.
    • Continuing from July.
  • Black-headed Gull (2nd cycle). Worcester County, Maryland. 08 August 2026.
  • Black-headed Gull (ad.). Anchorage Municipality, Alaska. 09 August 2026.
  • Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Juneau City & Borough. 11 August 2026.
  • Ivory Gull (adult). Baffin County, Nunavut. 13 August 2026.
  • Kelp x American Herring - putative (ad. type). Gosier Island. Louisiana. 14 August 2026.
  • Sabine's Gull (ad.). Pickaway County, Ohio. 17 August 2026.
  • Western/Yellow-footed type (2nd cycle). Chaffee County, Colorado. 18 August 2026.
    • Identification currently inconclusive. 
  • Sabine's Gull (ad.). McLean County, Illinois. 20 August 2026.
  • Sabine's Gull (ad.). Transylvania County, North Carolina. 20 August 2026.
  • Sabine's Gull (ad.). Nueces County, Texas. 21 August 2026.
  • Sabine's Gull (ad.). Washington County, Arkansas. 21 August 2026.
    • 1st County Record.
  • Lesser Black-backed Gull (ad. type). Clatsop County, Oregon. 22 August 2026.
  • Sabine's Gull (ad.). Mono County, California. 22 August 2026.
  • Sabine's Gull (ad.). Harney County, Oregon. 23 August 2026.
  • Sabine's Gull (ad.). Cochise County, Arizona. 25 August 2026.
  • Little Gull (juv.) Franklin County, Illinois. 26 August 2026.
  • Black-headed Gull (ad.). Juneau City & Borough. 26 August 2026.
  • Sabine's Gull (1 ad; 14 juv.). Cook County, Illinois. 28 August 2026.
    • New State High Count.
  • Lesser Black-backed Gull (ad. type). Clallam County, Washington. 28 August 2026.
  • Black-legged Kittiwake (juv.). Madison County, Mississippi. 29 August 2026.
  • Short-billed Gull (3rd cycle type). Lorain County, Ohio. 30 August 2026.
  • Sabine's Gull (ad; juv.). Nipissing District, Ontario. 30 August 2026.
  • Franklin's Gull (ad. type). Nipissing District, Ontario. 31 August 2026.

Notes:

  • Of note this month was an above average occurrence of adult Sabine's Gulls in the interior.
  • Yellow-footed Gull numbers in Imperial County, California appear to have reached record lows for the month. Once recorded here by the hundreds in August, the species may soon become a rare sighting at the Salton Sea due to the almost complete collapse of fish populations here. 
  • A Super El Niño is underway and observers should watch for extraordinary gulls from the southeast Pacific. Swallow-tailed Gull and Gray Gull seem particularly prone to movement during these events, but Gray-hooded, Kelp, Yellow-footed, and Heermann's should also be expected in unexpected regions. 

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