September 2022 Quiz

 

March. Vancouver Island.

Age: A standard adult, four-cycle, gull.

Identification: Our September Quiz bird has light gray upperparts with rather extensive black on the wingtip. Note, however, the black on the wingtip is less-than true black, with a suspicious gray quality. The underside to the far wing reinforces this coloration. The smudged head marks, apparent dark eye, and fairly straight bill with orange-red gonys spot all support Thayer's Gull, which often shows a California-gull-like gape line. The pigment on the wingtip approaches the darkest extreme in this taxon, with no p9 mirror and the visible inner web being grayish black. This individual shows very fresh tips to all of its flight feathers for mid-March. Finally, it's worth noting that the white tips to the inner primaries can be relatively broad on some Iceland Gulls, even broader than what's seen here. 

September 2022 Monthly Notables

 Sightings:

• Thayer's Gull (3rd cycle). Gambell, Alaska. 03 September 2022.
• Black-headed Gull (adult). Bergen & Hudson County, New Jersey. 04 September 2022.
• Great Black-backed Gull (adult type). Mobile County, Alabama. 04 September 2022.
• Heermann's Gull (2nd cycle). Baltimore County, Maryland. 04 September 2022.
• Apparently returning 1st State Record individual from March-May 2022, then a 1st cycle.
• California Gull (1st cycle). Cameron County, Texas. 05 September 2022.
• Black-legged Kittiwake (1st cycle). Bronx & Queens County, New York. 07 September 2022.
• Little Gull (juvenile). Sedgwick County, Colorado. 07 September 2022. 
• Black-legged Kittiwake (2nd cycle). Albany County, New York. 08 September 2022.
• Became progressively ill over the week and found dead on 14 September 2022.
• Laughing Gull (1st cycle). Washoe County, Nevada. 07 September 2022.
• Lesser Black-backed Gull (2nd cycle). Capital District, British Columbia. 10 September 2022.
• Yellow-footed Gull (2nd cycle). Clark County, Nevada. 14 September 2022.
• Apparently long-staying individual first found here September 2022 as 1st cycle.
• Lesser Black-backed Gull (adult). Jefferson County, Washington. 16 September 2022.
• Little Gull (2nd cycle). Morgan County, Colorado. 16 September 2022.
• Red-legged Kittiwake (adult). Nome County, Alaska. 17 September 2022.
• First eBird Record for Nome.
• Franklin's Gull (adult type). Barnstable County, Massachusetts. 19 September 2022.
• Short-billed Gull (1st cycle). Adak Island. Alaska. 22 September 2022.
• Little Gull (adult). Buffalo County, South Dakota. 23 September 2022.
• Glaucous-winged Gull (4th cycle type). Douglas County, Wisconsin. 24 September 2022.
• Lesser Black-backed Gull (adult). St Paul Island. Alaska. 24 September 2022.
• First Bering Sea Record. p1-p3 new, p4 dropped, p5-p10 old. Subspecies unknown. 
• Lesser Black-backed Gull (adult). Clallam County, Washington. 25 September 2022.
• California Gull (2nd cycle). Berrien County, Michigan. 27 September 2022.
• Black-legged Kittiwake (juvenile). Renfrew County, Ontario. 28 September 2022.
• Franklin's Gull (1st cycle). Wakulla County, Florida. 28 September 2022. 
• Heermann's Gull (4th cycle). Duval County, Florida. 28 September 2022.
• Atlantic Coast bird now in 4th basic plumage.
• Black-headed Gull (2nd cycle). Queens County, New York. 30 September 2022.
• Continuing from June 2022. 2nd basic plumage indistinguishable from adult.

Notes:

1. Lesser Black-backed Gull continues to expand its footprint in western North America. At least 2 individuals were reported in Washington, 4 individuals from California, a single bird on Vancouver Island, and most surprisingly, an adult on St Paul Island, constitutes a 1st for the Bering Sea.

August 2022 Monthly Notables

Sightings:

• Little Gull (2nd cycle). Monterey County, California. 01 August 2022.
• Continuing from July 2022. p1-p4 new. 
• Short-billed Gull (adult). Fort McMurray County, Alberta. 02 August 2022.
• Lesser Black-backed Gull (2nd cycle). San Francisco County, California. 06 August 2022.
• Heermann's Gull (1st cycle). Sitka, Alaska. 12 August 2022.
• Laughing Gull (2nd cycle). Montmagny County, Quebec. 13 August 2022.
• Heermann's Gull (4th cycle). Duval County, Florida. 14 August 2022.
• Atlantic Coast bird. Slowed 4th prebasic molt, still with many 3rd generation secondaries and outermost primaries. 
• Ivory Gull (adult). Baffin County, Nunavut. 21 August 2022.
• Black-legged Kittiwake (juvenile). Toronto County, Ontario. 25 August 2022.
• Moribund individual.
• Little Gull (juvenile). Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska. 25 August 2022.
• Little Gull (juvenile). Jefferson County, Wisconsin. 27 August 2022.
• Lesser Black-backed Gull (2nd cycle). Los Angeles County, California. 27 August 2022.
• Continuing from July 2022.
• Slaty-backed Gull (3rd cycle type). Juneau County, Alaska. 28 August 2022.
• Black-headed Gull (2nd cycle). Queens County, New York. 29 August 2022.
• Continuing from June 2022. Concluding 2nd prebasic molt.
• Laughing Gull (3 juveniles). Lorain County, Ohio. 29 August 2022.
• Notable count anywhere on the Great Lakes.

August 2022 Quiz

 

January. Washington. 

Age: Overall, both individuals appear to be adult type four-cycle gulls. The smaller apicals in mid-winter are not due to wear, and suggest younger adults. Zooming in, both individuals show dark markings on the primary coverts (just below the outer secondaries) which confirms the suspicion of not-quite-adult birds.

Identification: Pink-legged large white-headed gulls, with strong bills that appear somewhat bulbous, immediately evokes thoughts of Western Gull. The gray upperparts may be within range for northern occidentalis, but the smudgy head pattern is much more expected in hybrid Glaucous-winged x Westerns. Also, looking closely at the primaries -- especially on the individual on the right -- we find they're not quite pure black which is typical of this hybrid. Thus, both birds have enough oddities to comfortably be labeled hybrid Glaucous-winged x Westerns (so-called Olympic Gulls).  

July 2022 Monthly Notables

Sightings:

• Little Gull (8 adult and 2nd cycle types). Norfolk County, Ontario. 01 July 2022.
• Glaucous Gull (2nd cycle). Washington County, Maine. 01 July 2022.
• Lesser Black-backed Gull (2nd cycle). Los Angeles County, California. 03 July 2022.
• Little Gull (3 2nd cycles). Iosco County, Michigan. 06 July 2022.
• Franklin's Gull (2nd cycle). Monroe County, Michigan. 07 July 2022.
• Lesser Black-backed Gull (2nd cycle). Beaverhead County, Montana. 07 July 2022.
• Black-legged Kittiwake (adult). Santa Cruz County, California. 07 July 2022.
• Herring Gull (2nd cycle). Keith County, Nebraska. 09 July 2022.
• Sabine's Gull (adult type). Dare County, North Carolina. 10 July 2022.
• Franklin's Gull (adult). Islet County, Quebec. 10 July 2022. 
• Glaucous Gull (2nd cycle). Manitowoc County, Wisconsin. 11 July 2022.
• Laughing Gull (2nd cycle). Labrador-Happy Valley-Goose Bay County, Labrador. 13 July 2022.
• Lesser Black-backed Gull (2nd cycle). San Mateo County, California. 15 July 2022.
• Little Gull (adult). Montreal County, Quebec. 16 July 2022. 
• Short-billed Gull (adult type). Union County, Oregon. 16 July 2022.
• Franklin's Gull (adult). Hampden County, Massachusetts. 25 July 2022.
• Apparent 2nd county record.
• Little Gull (6 adult and 2nd cycle types). La Haute-Cote-Nord County, Quebec. 28 July 2022.
• Heermann's Gull (4th cycle). Duval County, Florida. 29 July 2022.
• Atlantic Coast bird still undergoing 4th prebasic molt. Head pattern transitioned from white in first ten days of July to speckled gray by the end of the month (p1-p4 fully grown, p5-p6 growing, p7 dropped, p8-p10 3rd generation).
• Slaty-backed Gull (1st cycle). St Paul Island, Alaska. 29 July 2022.
• Black-headed Gull (2nd cycle). Queens County, New York. 30 July 2022.
• Continuing from early June 2022.
  
• Little Gull (2nd cycle). Monterey County, California. 30 July 2022.
• Apparently same individual from Santa Cruz, May-June 2022.
• Little Gull (4 adults; 1 juvenile). Churchill, Manitoba. 30 July 2022.
• Laughing Gull (juvenile). LaPorte County, Indiana. 31 July 2022.

Notes:

1. On 01 July 2022, Woody Goss found what appeared to be an adult California Gull on an inland rooftop in Chicago, where a small group of Herring & Ring-billed Gulls were actively nesting. Based on the views and photos available, the bird seemed to be a rather typical California Gull (upperparts a shade darker than present Herrings, dark iris, yellow legs and considerable black on the base of p8-p10). On 26 July 2022, Goss spotted an apparent adult hybrid California x Herring 2 miles away on Lake Michigan feeding a pair fledged juveniles at Fullerton Beach. This same adult was subsequently found together with the rooftop bird a couple of days later at Fullerton. This time, better views and photos were secured, and suggest both birds are likely hybrids/backcrosses. Both individuals approach California Gull more so than Herring, although the irides are not entirely dark and the orbital and gape color is a fiery orange, not crimson red. 

July 2022 Quiz

 

August. Maryland. 

Age: As a rule, gulls that have drab brown heads, necks and upperparts are usually in their 1st molt cycle. This individual is dressed in juvenile plumage, also known as the 1st basic plumage. The primary tips are pointed, with outermost primaries not yet fully grown (hence the short wing projection past the tail). Several inner median coverts have been dropped in what should be considered the beginning stages of the first partial molt.

Identification: The combination of brown head and neck, scaly upperparts, white undertail coverts and vent region help move us away from any of the large four-cycle gulls. This is a so-called "hooded" species. The longish bill, full throughout its length, with moderate depth to the tip points away from smaller tern-like species (i.e., Bonaparte's, Little and Sabine's Gull). The only valid contenders are Laughing and Franklin's Gull. Even in fresh juvenile plumage, Franklin's averages less brown on the nape and foreneck with bolder eye crescents. Overall, Franklin's has a quasi-hood (much more a "mask") on the face. The bill averages thinner and shorter on Franklin's, and the body and head appear more compact. Our August quiz, as perhaps already given away by location, is a juvenile Laughing Gull. 

Laughing Gull has what are believed to be 2 partial molts in its 1st molt cycle (a preformative molt and a prealternate molt). Body feathers replaced around this time of year are a result of the preformative molt. In winter and early spring, many Laughing Gulls replace some of these body feathers and upperparts a 2nd time via a 1st prealternate molt. 

June 2022 Monthly Notables

Sightings:

• Sabine's Gull (adult). Beaverhead County, Montana. 01 June 2022.
• Franklin's Gull (adult). Kent County, New Brunswick. 02 June 2022.
• Ring-billed Gull (adult). Yukon County, Yukon. 02 June 2022.
• Ross's Gull (adult). North Slope County, Alaska. 02 June 2022*.
• Kamchatka Gull (1st cycle). Aleutians West County, Alaska. 02 June 2022.
• Continuing from late May 2022.
• Lesser Black-backed Gull (3 adult types). Baffin County, Nunavut. 04 June 2022*.
• Ivory Gull (adult). Minganie County, Quebec. 05 June 2022.
• California Gull (adult). Lake County, Ohio. 05 June 2022.
• Small, dark individual, suggesting nominate californicus.
• Laughing Gull (adult). Del Norte County, California. 07 June 2022. 
• Black-headed Gull (1st cycle). Queens County, New York. 07 June 2022.
• Thayer's Gull (1st cycle). Gambell, Alaska. 08 June 2022.
• Slaty-backed Gull (adult & 4th cycle). Inuvik County, Northwest Territories. 10 June 2022.
• Heermann's Gull (4th cycle). Beaufort County, South Carolina. 11 June 2022. 
• Atlantic Coast bird now undergoing its 4th prebasic molt (p1-p2 growing, p3 dropped).
• Black-headed Gull (2nd cycle). Sheboygan County, Wisconsin. 12 June 2022.
• Thayer's Gull (2nd cycle). Lincoln County, Oregon. 12 June 2022.
• Latest Spring record, and only 2nd for June. Start of 2nd prebasic molt.
• Laughing Gull (adult). Churchill & Northern Manitoba County, Manitoba. 19 June 2022.
• Short-billed Gull (adult). Churchill & Northern Manitoba County, Manitoba. 19 June 2022.
• Lesser Black-backed Gull (2nd cycle). Beaverhead County, Montana. 19 June 2022.
• 1st Summer record.
• California Gull (4th cycle). Sangamon County, Illinois. 19 June 2022.
• Likely a returning bird, undergoing 4th prebasic molt.
• Red-legged Kittiwake (2 adults). Aleutians West County, Alaska. 21 June 2022.
• Little Gull (1st cycle). Santa Cruz County, California. 22 June 2022.
• Continuing from previous month. Still will all juvenile flight feathers.
• Lesser Black-backed Gull (5 - 2nd cycles). Jefferson County, Louisiana. 24 June 2022. 
• Little Gull (9 adults). Churchill & Northern Manitoba County, Manitoba. 24 June 2022*.
• Ross's Gull (1st cycle). North Slope County, Alaska. 25 June 2022.
• Slaty-backed Gull (adult & 2nd cycle). Utqiagvik, Alaska. 27 June 2022.
• Glaucous-winged Gull (2nd cycle). Utqiagvik, Alaska. 27 June 2022.
• Little Gull (3rd cycle). Arnold's Cove, Newfoundland. 29 June 2022.

Notes:

1) The adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls reported in Iqaluit, Nunavut is part of a growing trend from the last three breeding seasons (2020-2022). Whether these are migrants stopping over, nonbreeding loafers, or birds "possibly" attempting to breed locally remains to be seen. A maximum of 6 were reported on 02 June 2022.

2) At least 9 adult Little Gulls were reported in Churchill, Manitoba throughout the month, suggesting they may be back breeding at this historic stronghold. 

3) Late winter conditions in Utqiagvik this year helped reel in at least 2 Ross's Gulls (ad. & 1st C). The species has become rare here in spring/summer in recent years due to increased ice melt.