Monthly Notables June 2015

June is a good month to find lingering gulls that would have otherwise moved north or offshore. You'll notice most of the highlights for this month are 1-2 year-olds.

• Black-headed Gull (1st cycle - continuing). New Hanover County, NC. 01 June 2015.
• Thayer's Gull (2nd cycle ). Marquette County, MI. 04 June 2015.
• Little Gull (1st cycle). Lake County, IL. 06 June 2015.
• Glaucous Gull (1st cyclce). Niagara County, NY. 06 June 2015.
• Black-legged Kittiwake (180 - almost all 1st cycle). Barnstable County, MA. 06 June 2015.
• Black-headed Gull (1st cycle). St. Paul Island, AK. 07 June 2015.
• Kamchatka Gull (1st cycle). St. Paul Island, AK. 07 June 2015.
• Great Black-backed Gull (2nd cycle). Mobile County, AL. 14 June 2015.
• This individual was sighted on Dauphin Island on three different days. Any black-backed species here should be closely scrutinized and documented with photos.
• Sabine's Gull (2nd cycle type). Queens County, NY. 18 June 2015.
• Iceland Gull (1st cycle). Manitowoc County, WI. 19 June 2015.
• Great Black-backed Gull (1st cycle). Burleigh County, ND. 20 June 2015.
• Black-headed Gull (1st cycle). Monroe County, MI. 22 June 2015.
• Presumably the same individual sighted here, on-and-off, in April.
• Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Deewatin County, Nunavut, Canada. 22 June 2015.
• Black-legged Kittiwake (1st cycles - 4). Pacific County, WA. 22 June 2015.
• Franklin's Gull (1st cycle type). Humboldt County, CA. 29 June 2015.

May 2015 Quiz

There were lots of answers submitted this month, ranging from Herring Gull to Iceland Gull. First things first, age: this is a pretty obvious 1st cycle with nearly complete juvenile plumes.

The pale edging to the primaries, as well as the color of the primaries (brown not blackish) rules out Herring Gull. Although this bird superficially resembles a Thayer's Gull, the drooping secondary skirt, heavier bill and higher eye placement push me towards a Glaucous-winged Gull. The wing coverts on this species are a bit more solidly filled than most similar-aged Thayer's. The scaps and overall plumage aspect also have a muddier look when compared to Thayer's. Of course if there were other species around to compare it to, one would use size and structure to help clue them in.

This Glaucous-winged Gull was photographed in the Seattle, Washington area in January. Some birds, like this individual, take on a very chocolaty plumage, making it appear similar to a Glaucous-winged x Western hybrid (so-called Puget Sound or Olympic Gull). Those birds tend to have more beady eyes, higher eye placement and more bulbous-tipped bills.

Monthly Notables May 2015

May 2015

• Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Wayne County, Michigan.02 May 2015.
• Michigan state has earned the "Slaty-backed Crown" of the interior. I can't think of any other state outside of California and Alaska where this species has been recorded with such frequency in the last couple of years.
• Franklin's Gulls (4 adults). Hawaii County, Hawaii. 03 May 2015.
• Laughing Gull (adult). San Mateo County, California. 04 May 2015.
• Thayer's Gull (1st cycle). Valley County, Montana. 04 May 2015.
• Slaty-backed Gull (adult - continuing). Pierce County, Washington. 06 May 2015.
• California Gull (2nd cycle). Point Pelee, Ontario. 12 May 2015.
• Great Black-backed Gulls (7). Lake County, Indiana. 17 May 2015.
• May high count for Indiana.
• Kelp Gull (adult type). San Mateo County, California. 20 May 2015.
• First state record. Presumably, this same individual was relocated on the Farallon Islands on 24 May 2015.
• Laughing x Ring-billed Hybrid (adults - 2). Cook County, Illinois. 22, 24 May 2015.
• Seen two days apart - photos confirm two different individuals. 
• Franklin's Gull (adult). Kings County, New York. 24 May 2015.
• Perhaps the most intriguing highlight this month is a video by Issac Grant that documents this adult Franklin's Gull mounting, and copulating with, an adult Laughing Gull.
• Black-headed Gull (1st cycle). Monroe County, Michigan. 29 May 2015.
• Laughing Gull (2 adult types). Manitowoc, Wisconsin. 31 May 2015.

April 2015 Quiz

It's known that 1st cycle gulls typically show pointed primary tips, while older gulls display more rounded tips to the primaries. Looking at this bird's primaries, it seems they are rounded, but overall the plumage appears to be that of a 1st cycle gull. The caveat here is that the apparent shape of the primary tips can change with the bird's posture, behavior, and even the angle at which we observe these feathers. This is indeed a first cycle gull, but what species?

Proportionally, the body-to-head and body-to-tail size seem to rule out a large species (such as Herring, etc.). The barred tail, brown and white wing coverts, and mostly white neck narrow this down to Ring-billed Gull or Mew Gull. This next photo should help:

Notice how the tips to the primaries appear more pointy now. But much more importantly, notice the pale edging surrounding the primary tips - a very "Mew-like" feature. This neat, white-winger-like edging is rarely as extensive in Ring-billed (see a typical 1st cycle Ring-billed example here). Additionally, the petite bill, domed head, smudgy hind-neck markings, and relatively dark gray 2nd generation scapulars all add up to a 1st cycle Mew Gull. There are several other field marks that help eliminate Ring-billed, but the description I've provided here should suffice. This Mew Gull was photographed in Seattle, Washington in January 2010.

Monthly Notables April 2015

April 2015

• Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Manitowoc, Wisconsin. 04 April 2015.
• This individual was seen on and off for over a month but could not be identified to species until 04 April when the original finder observed it closer to shore.
• Western Gull (1st cycle). Sierra County, New Mexico. 09 April 2015.
• Mew Gull (adult). Southport, Connecticut. 10 April 2015.
• Another presumed Kamchatka Gull (the 4th one on the Atlantic Coast in 6 months). North America's default East Coast subspecies has always been nominate canus. The recent rash of L.c. kamtschatschensis is curious, to say the least. Perhaps it's a good time to reassess historic records where photos and/or specimens are available.
• Slaty-backed Gull (continuing adult). Tacoma, Washington. Present all of April 2015.
• Little Gull (1st cycle). Sullivan County, Indiana. 12 April 2015.
• Now here for at least 23 consecutive weeks!
• Mew Gull (adult). Milford, Connecticut. 16 April 2015. 
• Thayer's Gull (1st cycle). West Haven, Connecticut. 19 April 2015.
• Iceland Gull (adult). Morgan County, Colorado. 20 April 2015.
• Little Gull (adult). St. John's, Newfoundland. 22 April 2015.
• Little Gull (adult). Waukegan, Illinois, 25 April 2015.
• A single adult was viewed flying north on Lake Michigan with a relatively big flight of Bonaparte's (822). This number of Bonaparte's is unusual on the Illinois lakefront at any time of year.
• Little Gull (158). Oshawa, Ontario. 26 April 2015.
• A site high count at the famous Oshawa Second Marsh. All birds present were adults with just a single first cycle bird.

March 2015 Quiz

Let's get the gull in flight out of the way first: Adult Laughing Gull. Franklin's Gull would be a fair contender but definitive adults tend to show less black on the outer primaries with traces of a white medial band. The medial band partitions the black subterminal region from the gray on the upperwing (see here).

Now for the standing birds. Both are in their 1st plumage cycle (first winter) and happen to be the same species. Interestingly though, the bird on the right appears smaller and has greater coverts that are darker and more solid. Those two characteristics alone may convince an observer that they're looking at two different species, but this is nothing more than expected "variation" found at the species level. Note that the overall uniform brown coloration to the upperparts is a good indication we're looking at black-backed species, and not Herring Gulls. The anchor-shaped centers to the lower scapulars, all-black and straight bills, and elongated look to the wings all point towards Lesser Black-backed Gull. The lightly barred undertail coverts and lower belly (seen better on the right bird) is also a good indication of a non-American Herring taxon.

First cycle LBBG presents some challenges for beginning birders. Identifying them is much more a matter of being familiar with Herring Gull and eliminating that species first. My advice would be to stay with any gull that you suspect may be a 1st cycle Lesser until it opens its wings and until you see the uppertail pattern (here's an example showing the paler uppertail coverts and darker inner primaries).

This photo was taken in Volusia County, Florida on 24 January 2015. Incidentally, the smaller individual on the right is Florida's first banded Lesser Black-backed Gull, and was sexed as a female (which average smaller bodies and proportions than males).

Monthly Notables March 2015

March 2015

1. Kamchatka Gull (adult). Lynn, Massachusets. 01 March 2015.*
2. California Gull (adult).Clarksville, Indiana. 01 March 2015.
3. Kamchatka Gull (adult). Lynn, Massachusetts. 04 March 2015.** 
4. Heermann's Gull (2nd cycle). Pima County, Arizona. 17 March 2015.
5. California Gull (adult). Lake County, Indiana. 17 March 2015.
6. Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Marquette, Michigan. 22 March 2015.
7. Little Gull (adult). Hall County, Georgia. 23 March 2015.

Of note this month is an important lesson to be learned about under-monitored areas. David Brown and company found 3 first county records in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania at the Williamsport Dam: Glaucous Gull (1st cycle - 24 March), Kumlien's Gull (2nd cycle - 29 March) and Lesser Black-backed Gull (1st cycle - 30 March). The observers feel this rash of new county records is due to an increase in effort and isn't likely due to an unusual occurrence.

*Apparent northeast Asian taxon, Kamchatka Gull (L.c. kamtschatschensis).
** Amazingly, a second adult Kamchatka Gull (a noticeably smaller bird) was also found in Lynn (the same site as the 01 March bird).