December 2024 Monthly Quiz

 

Illinois. February.

Age: This appears to be a 1st cycle large gull, based on the mottled grayish-brown upperparts with extensive patterning, black bill and consistently patterned uppertail coverts.

Identification: With so many similar-looking large gulls in 1st cycle, where does one begin? Importantly, the outer primaries have a distinct two-toned appearance, often described as a venetian blind pattern. The plumage is fairly uniform, grayish-brown, and not very contrasty (as we find in California and Herring Gull). The warmer brown tones to the flight feathers, including the tail feathers, fairly straight bill -- and of course location -- all point to a 1st cycle Thayer's Gull (Larus glaucoides thayeri), which is what our December 2024 Quiz bird is.

November 2024 Monthly Notables

Sightings:

• Common Gull (adult). Knox County, Maine. 01 November 2024.
• Found the previous day, an individual with a blue field-readable band 74J. Same as bird found in MA in 2018.
• Common Gull (adult). Knox County, Maine. 02 November 2024.
• An unbanded individual, showing some henei characteristics. 
• Lesser Black-backed Gull (4th cycle type). Lincoln County, Oregon. 01 November 2024. 
• Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Benton County, Washington. 02 November 2024.
• Returning for an 8th consecutive year.
• Slaty-backed Gull (4th cycle type). Santa Cruz County, California. 04 November 2024.
• Black-headed Gull (1st cycle). Wake County, North Carolina. 09 November 2024.
• Short-billed Gull (adult). Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry County, Ontario. 15 November 2024.
• Black-headed Gull (adult). Oneida County, New York. 17 November 2024.
• Ross's Gull (5). Gambell. St. Lawrence Island, AK. 17 November 2024.
• Great Black-backed Gull (adult). Pueblo County, Colorado. 19 November 2024.
• Murray, presumably the same adult that winters here, back for a 31st year!
• Black-headed Gull (adult). Onondaga County, New York. 22 November 2024.
• Likely the same adult from Oneida County.
• Black-headed Gull (adult). Lake County, Ohio. 23 November 2024.
• Ivory Gull (5 adults & juvenile). Baffin County, Nunavut. 24 November 2024.
• Little Gull (adult). Capital District, British Columbia. 26 November 2024.
• Black-legged Kittiwake (adult). Cuyahoga County, Ohio. 29 November 2024.
• The age is noteworthy here.

Notes:

1. As expected, the floodgates for Vega Gull reports have been open. Two 1st cycles from California (found here and here) and a 1st cycle in Oklahoma hold promise. 
2. The Slaty-backed Gull from Benton County, Washington returns for an 8th year. Thanks to Ian Paulsen for noting that this may be a North American record of a known SBAG that has returned to the same site for this many years.
3. The putative Black-headed x Ring-billed hybrid (adult) that has been seen for a number of years around Cumberland County, Maine was reported on 02 November 2024. 
4. A new apparent high count for the state, 635 Lesser Black-backed Gulls were counted in Hancock County, Ohio at Findlay Reservoirs.  
5. A higher-than-average number of sightings of late Sabine's Gulls was recorded throughout the lower 48 this month.

November 2024 Monthly Quiz

 

October. California

Age: This is a large white-headed gull. The rounded primary tips, adult-like gray on the back, and white uppertail coverts indicate it is not a 1st cycle. The flight feathers don't appear adult-like with broad white tips, thus we can be confident in aging it as a 2nd cycle.

Identification: The scapular feathers are fairly dark, suggesting a black-backed species. The broad wing and apparent thick bill with noticeable expansion at the tip are typical of Western Gull. Given the location and time of year, California Gull should be eliminated, which it is by bill pattern and overall structure. The hand appears short, recalling Slaty-backed Gull, but this may be a consequence of how the bird is holding its wing. 2nd cycle Slaty-backed Gull doesn't typically show a smudged head pattern like this, and its outer primaries are often paler with a two-toned venetian blinds pattern.

Our October Quiz bird is indeed a 2nd cycle Western Gull.

, but also by the broad wing. California Gull should have a sharply demarcated bill tip and a narrower wing that appears  

October 2024 Monthly Quiz

 

California. September.

Age: A big brown job showing a mostly black bill, extensive pale edging to the wing coverts and tertials, and importantly, juvenile scapulars. Thus, this individual is a juvenile proper in its "1st basic plumage". Note that juvenile plumage is synonymous with 1st basic plumage.

Identification: The bill is fairly long and straight (no noticeable expansion to the gonys) and the wing projection is also noticeably long, which points to a juvenile California Gull. Ring-billed Gull at this age typically shows silvery greater coverts and is not so solid dark on the underparts (breast, belly and flanks). Western has a shorter wing projection and overall bulkier proportions, most noticeably with a bulbous-tipped bill. American Herring might be considered, but it too has a thicker bill, shorter wings and a proportionally larger head. The rust-brown tones to the neck and underparts suggest some elements of what is known as a "cinnamon type" California Gull, and that is indeed what our October 2024 Quiz is. 

October 2024 Monthly Notables

Sightings:

• Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Nipissing County, Ontario. 13 October 2024.
• Ross's Gull (adult). Lambton County, Ontario. 15 October 2024.
• Iceland Gull (1st cycle). Stark County, Ohio. 18 October 2024.
• Early eBird record for this month. 
• Black-tailed Gull (adult type). Elgin County, Ontario. 19 October 2024.
• 2nd Province Record.
• Lesser Black-backed Gull (2nd cycle). Sooke County; Vancouver Island; BC. 20 October 2024.
• Gray Gull (adult type). Walton County, Florida. 21 October 2024.
• Seen consistently through the 21st. Now with flight feather mostly renewed.
• Thayer's Gull (1st cycle). Galveston County, Texas. 28 October 2024.
• Early.
• Little Gull (1st cycle). Caddo Parish, Louisiana. 28 October 2024.
• Common Gull (adult). Knox County, Maine. 31 October 2024.

September 2024 Monthly Notables

Sightings:

• Black-legged Kitiwake (adult). Calgary County, Alberta. 09 September 2024.
• Black-headed Gull (adult). Erie County, New York. 09 September 2024.
• Sabine's Gull (juveniles - 5). Erie County, New York. 09 September 2024.
• Sabine's Gull (juveniles - 8). Cook County, Illinois. 14 September 2024.
• Black-headed Gull (adult). Whatcom County, Washington. 14 September 2024.
• Sabine's Gull (juveniles - 10). Polk County, Iowa. 15 September 2024.
• Black-headed Gull (adult). Anchorage Municipality, Alaska. 17 September 2024.
• Sabine's Gull (juveniles - 17). Hamilton County, Ontario. 18 September 2024.
• Sabine's Gull (juveniles - 16). St. Clair County, Michigan. 18 September 2024. 
• Sabine's Gull (juveniles - 35). Douglas County, Wisconsin. 19 September 2024.
• Sabine's Gull (juveniles - 6). Hitchcock County, Nebraska. 21 September 2024.
• Sabine's Gull (juveniles - 17). Lambton County, Ontario. 22 September 2024.
• Sabine's Gull (juveniles - 15). Platte County, Wyoming. 22 September 2024
• Sabine's Gull (juveniles - 7). Barton County, Kansas. 22 September 2024.
• Sabine's Gull (juveniles - 9). Kalamazoo County, Michigan. 24 September 2024.
• Sabine's Gull (juveniles - 6). Comal County, Texas. 24 September 2024
• Sabine's Gull (juveniles - 6). Hood River County, Oregon. 25 September 2024
• Sabine's Gull (juveniles - 10). Clay County, Missouri. 25 September 2024.
• Sabine's Gull (juveniles - 13). Jefferson County, Colorado. 26 September 2024
• Sabine's Gull (juveniles - 5). Inyo County, California. 26 September 2024
• Sabine's Gull (juveniles - 4). Coconino County, Arizona. 30 September 2024
• Gray Gull (adult type). Walton County, Florida. 30 September 2024.
• Returning 1st ABA Record bird, continuing in Walton County all month.

Notes:

• An unusually high number of Sabine's Gulls pushed through the interior this month, beginning in the second week of September. Although September is the month they're most expect inland, this was a banner event, with many states breaking high count records for the species. As expected in the interior, almost all were juveniles. Similarly, excellent numbers were recorded offshore in California (mixed ages with adults being the majority). Apparently, this was due to a wonderful coincidence of observer's being present at feeding sites during offshore pelagic trips, and seems to be unrelated to the event that took place inland.

eBird map with September 2024 sightings of Sabine's Gulls throughout the interior.

September 2024 Quiz

 

August. Indiana.

Age: Overall, this appears to be an adult-type gull based on the white body, white tail and clean gray upperwing. 

Identification: Our September bird is somewhat of a mystery, but a well-known individual that has summered on the Illinois/Indiana state line for the last 20 years. Most people who got the correct answer this month were already familiar with "The Colonel", a putative hybrid between Laughing and Ring-billed Gull (which means this is likely the most popular hybrid gull in the ABA Area). 

I was impressed by several responses that gave an analysis of why the bird reminded them of Laughing Gull & Ring-billed Gull.

In any event, here's The Colonel in April, sporting its alternate plumage and with outer primaries fully grown: