Monthly Notables December 2015

• California Gull (adult). Berrien County, Michigan. 01 December 2015.
• Continuing from late November.
• California Gull (1st cycle). Whiteside County, Illinois. 05 December 2015.
• Black-legged Kittiwake (adult). Henry County, Ohio. 05 December 2015.
• Kelp Gull (adult). Summit County, Ohio. 05 December 2015.
• First State Record. Seen on-and-off throughout the month at Springfield Lake. Site used strictly for roosting. Daytime feeding site unknown, although similar to most large gulls wintering inland, a local landfill(s) is the most likely source. Interestingly, this location is within 100 miles of the January 2015 Pittsburgh Kelp Gull (also a 1st for the state of PA).
• Lesser Black-backed Gull (1st cycle). San Diego County, California. 06 December 2015.
• A different 1st cycle than November's bird.
• Black-headed Gull (1st cycle). Kings County, New York, 06 December 2015.
• Mew Gull (1st cycle). Davis County, Utah. 07 December 2015.
• Lesser Black-backed Gull (3rd cycle). Okanogan County, Washington. 08 December 2015.
• Franklin's Gull (1st cycle). Dorchester County, Maryland. 10 December 2015. 
• Iceland Gull (adult). Clallam County, Washington. 13 December 2015.
• Red-legged Kittiwake (adult type). Lincoln County, Oregon. 13 December 2015.
• 11th State Record.
• Sabine's Gull (1st cycle). Wayne County, Kentucky. 13 December 2015.
• Little Gull (2 - adult & 1st cycle). Lauderdale County, Alabama. 13 December 2015.
• Franklin's Gull (3 adults). District of Columbia. 16 December 2015.
• Iceland Gull (2nd cycle). Kootenai County, Utah. 17 December 2015.
• Continuing from late November.
• Thayer's Gull (1st cycle). Cecil County, Maryland. 18 December 2015.
• Laughing Gull (adult). Digby County, Nova Scotia. 20 December 2015.
• Common Gull (2 adults). St. John's County, Newfoundland. 20 December 2015.
• Ivory Gull (1st cycle). Whittier, Alaska. 21 December 2015.
• Black-headed Gull (adult). Cuyahoga County, Ohio. 26 December 2015.
• Franklin's Gull (1st cycle). Cuyahoga County, Ohio. 26 December 2015.
• Vega Herring Gull (adult). Volusia County, Florida. 29 December 2015.
• A good candidate that shows no field marks that are out of range for that taxon.
• Lesser Black-backed Gull (adult). Yolo County, California. 30 December 2015.
• Likely a returning individual. 
• California Gull (adult). Lake County, Illinois. 31 December 2015.

December 2015 Quiz

Mew Gull. Seattle, Washington. 03 January 2012.

It's obvious that this bird isn't an adult due to the black markings on the tail and primary coverts. The small bill and overall compact proportions immediately steer us into the Ring-billed/Common/Mew Gull arena. In that case this would be a 2nd cycle type as these are 3 year gulls.

Anyone familiar with 2nd cycle Ring-billed Gulls will find the large p10 mirror to be unusual for that species, but much more problematic is the mirror on p9 - this isn't found in 2nd cycle type Ring-billeds. If the color of the upperparts, particularly the back, is true-to-life, then this too should raise doubts about Ring-billed. Ring-billeds generally look paler and more silvery than this flat, dark, gray.

The trailing edge to the secondaries on 2nd cycle type Ring-billeds also appears thinner and less contrasty where the white and gray meet. Here's an example:

A single mirror on p10 and thinner trailing edge to the secondaries.

Given the noticeably thin, petite bill, with large, dark doe-eye, and smudgy hindneck markings, I safely identified this as a Mew Gull (L.c. brachyrhynchus).

Monthly Notables January 2015

January 2015

• Mew Gull (adult). Honolulu, Hawaii. 01 Jan 2015.
• 2nd State Record.
• Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Pierce, Washington. 01 Jan 2015.
• Reoccuring (ABA Code 3).
• Ivory Gull (adult). Quincy, Illinois. 02 Jan 2015.
• 3rd/4th State Record.
• Ivory Gull (adult). Marion, Missouri. 03 Jan 2015. 
• 1st State Record.*
• Black-headed Gull (adult). Hermiston, Oregon. 02 Jan 2015.
• 5th State Record.
• Slaty-backed Gull (adult type). East Peoria/Peoria, Illinois. 11 Jan 2015.
• 5th State Record.
• Laughing Gull (1st cycle). Salt Lake City, Utah. 14 January 2015. 
• 1st State Record.
• Kelp Gull (adult). Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 17 January 2015. 
• 1st State Record.
• Great Black-backed Gull (2nd cycle). Yell County, Arkansas. 22 January 2015.
• 1st state record.

Notes:
*Same individual first found in Illinios, flying back and forth between both states across the 
Mississippi River.

Monthly Notables November 2015

• Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Pierce County, Washington. 03 November 2015.
• Continuing. Reoccurring. 
• Kumlien's Iceland Gull (adult). Nanaimo County, British Columbia. 03 November 2015.
• Glaucous-winged Gull (1st cycle). Salt Lake County, Utah. 03 November 2015.
• Lesser Black-backed Gull (adult). Washoe County, Nevada. 03 November 2015.
• Little Gull (1st cycle). Moultrie County, Illinois. 06 November 2015.
• Mew Gull (1st cycle type). Dondas & Glengarry County, Ontario. 07 November 2015.
• Franklin's Gull (1st cycle). Fairfield County, Connecticut. 10 November 2015.
• 5th State Record*.
• Black-headed Gull (adult). Sheboygan County, Wisconsin. 11 November 2015.
• Black-headed Gull (adult). Lancaster County, Nebraska. 11 November 2015.
• 4th State Record.
• Mew Gull (adult). McLean County, North Dakota. 11 November 2015.
• Little Gull (1st cycle). St. John's County, Newfoundland. 11 November 2015.
• Black-legged Kittiwake (juveniles - 2). Lake County, Indiana. 12 November 2015.
• Observed from Cook County, Illinois, over Indiana waters.
• California Gull (2nd cycle). Berrien County, Michigan. 13 November 2015.
• Size, lighter gray upperparts and date all strongly suggest subspecies, albertaensis.
• Iceland Gull (1,168). La Haute-Cote-Nord County, Quebec. 14 November 2015.
• A new site high count for the Tadoussac Bird Observatory. Counters are confident the entire flight wasn't recorded due to snow squalls earlier in the morning.
• Heermann's Gull (2nd cycle). Maricopa County, Arizona. 15 November 2015.
• Black-legged Kittiwake (800). Barnstable County, Massachusetts. 15 November 2015.
• Black-legged Kittiwake (juvenile). Teton County, Montana. 16 November 2015.
• Little Gull (1st cycle). Brown County, Wisconsin. 19 November 2015.
• Glaucous-winged Gull (1st cycle). Eddy County, New Mexico. 22 November 2015.
• 3rd State Record.
• Black-legged Kittiwake (1st cycle). Polk County, Iowa. 23 November 2015.
• Sabine's Gull (adult). Polk County, Iowa. 21 November 2015.
• Lesser Black-backed Gull (1st cycle). San Diego County, California. 24 November 2015.
• Only about 10 county records.
• Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Rock Island County, Illinois. 25 November 2015.
• Black-legged Kittiwake (1st cycle). Wake County, North Carolina. 29 November 2015.
• 2nd inland record for the state.

*The biggest highlight this month, for birders in the eastern United States, was a relatively large "fallout" of Franklin's Gulls throughout New England and the Mid-Atlantic. Hundreds of Franklin's (both adults & sub-adults) were reported from the Great Lakes and east to the Atlantic on 12 November and 13 November, respectively. An unprecedented 315+ individuals were reported in Cape May, New Jersey on 13 November 2015. 

November 2015 Quiz

BERRIEN COUNTY, MICHIGAN.  09 OCTOBER 2015.

Multiple-species quizzes are interesting, mainly because the identifications we make are relative, and of course, comparative.

Let's start with the standing black-backed. It clearly outsizes the other two individuals that are at rest. Not only because it's standing, but because it's genuinely large-bodied, big-headed and large-billed. This is the largest gull species on the planet: Great Black-backed Gull. The extensive black-marked bill and brown greater coverts and tertials suggest a 3rd cycle type, not an adult.

The other black-backed with mostly black bill, white head and pale iris is its smaller cousin - Lesser Black-backed Gull (2nd cycle type). The light gray adult-type to the far right appears to be a Herring Gull, although one would want better views to be certain.

Monthly Notables October 2015

• Bonaparte's Gull (adult). St. John's, Newfoundland. 02 October 2015.
• Yellow-legged Gull (adult). St. John's Newfoundland. 03 October 2015.
• ABA Code 4 Species.
• Sabine's Gull (juvenile). Essex County, Ontario. 03 October 2015.
• Glaucous Gull (juvenile). St. Louis County, Minnesota. 03 October 2015.
• Early. Likely a new state "early arrival" record.
• Thayer's Gull (adult type). Lake County, Illinois. 02 October 2015
• Early.
• Black-legged Kittiwake (juvenile). Chittenden County, Vermont. 05 October 2015.
• Great Black-backed Gull (2nd cycle). Barrow, Alaska. 06 October 2015.
• 4th State Record.
• California Gull (2nd cycle). Ottawa County, Michigan. 06 October 2015.
• Little Gull (juvenile). Barton County, Kansas. 07 October 2015.
• Franklin's Gull (1st cycles - 6). Catawba County, North Carolina. 13 October 2015.
• Mew Gull (1st cycle). Weld County, Colorado. 14 October 2015.
• Black-tailed Gull (adult). Ketchikan Gateway County, Alaska. 17 October 2015.
• ABA Code 4 Species.
• Iceland Gull (juvenile). Ketchikan Gateway County, Alaska. 17 October 2015.
• Apparent Kumlien's Gull. See photos.
• Little Gull (1st cycle). Moultrie County, Illinois. 18 October 2015.
• Iceland Gull (1st cycle). Rockingham County, New Hampshire. 18 October 2015.
• Early.
• Black-headed Gull (adult). Baltimore County, Maryland. 24 October 2015.
• Reoccuring. This is the 6th consecutive year this individual (aka "Popcorn") returns to the Hunt Valley Mall parking lot. 
• Belcher's Gull (adult type) - Probable. San Diego County, California. 24 October 2015.
• A report of a fly-by bird from 3 observers with the same description of what was seen in the field. Observation time was 90 seconds of the gull flying south over the Pacific Ocean, 200 yards offshore. Field marks described eliminate Heermann's Gull. No photos obtained.
• Coincidentally, the last Belcher's that was found in the United States was in San Diego County. That bird continued for 5 months (03 August 1997 - 02 January 1998). This is the only accepted Belcher's Gull in the ABA area where there is no ambiguity regarding subspecies.
• Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Pierce County, Washington. 29 October 2015.
• Continuing. Reoccurring.
• Black-headed Gull (adult). Washington County, Rhode Island. 31 October 2015.

October 2015 Quiz

MICHIGAN CITY, INDIANA. 20 DECEMBER 2014.

Age

The plumage aspect appears to be that of a 2nd cycle large white-headed gull. But how is a 1st cycle eliminated? The fairly significant amount of gray on the back along with the pale iris (zoom in to see this) should be enough to sway your opinion in favor of 2nd cycle. The bi-colored bill is also helpful, but it should be used with caution as many 1st cycle species have this bill pattern in their first winter. Bill patterns are at best supporting field marks, not definitive ones. Further, it's not uncommon for a 2nd cycle large gull to retain a nearly all-black bill. Overall, the upperwing coverts and uppertail coverts have a very marbled feel to them, agreeing with a 2nd cycle plumage.

Identification

With open-wing photos such as this, the primary pattern and uppertail pattern should be the most revealing feather tracts. The pale and silvery inner primaries rule out species like California or Lesser Black-backed Gull. The thinner bill rules out bigger species, such as Glaucous-winged Gull.

Nearly everything seen on this gull can technically be found on a Herring Gull - all but the pattern on the outer primaries. The outer primaries show a classic "Venetian blind" pattern. This is suggestive of a white-winged taxon, and Thayer's Gull immediately comes to mind. The inner webs are lighter than the outer webs, and this is seen all the way up the primaries where they meet the primary coverts. The outer primaries are a tad paler than the black that's blemished with dark brown on Herring. The contrast here is a "soft' appearance that is more elegant than Herring. With Herring, the two-toned effect is somewhat lost and not as continuous. This is mostly because the inner webs on Herring aren't as pale as in Thayer's. 

Finally, looking closely at the subterminal portion of the inner web of p10, we can see hints of a mirror (often referred to as a "ghost mirror"). It's not uncommon for Thayer's Gull to show this mirror in 2nd basic (and even more so in Kumlien's). In my experience, it's quite rare to find any 2nd cycle American Herring with this pattern. 

Someone used to seeing many Kumlien's Gulls may struggle to eliminate a dark Kumlien's, but the outer primaries are dark enough, as are most of the secondaries and tailband, to keep this one comfortably in the Thayer's pile.

I identified this bird as a 2nd cycle Thayer's Gull, likely a female due to its petite bill, head and body. It's worth seeing a couple of more images of this beauty to reinforce the "elegant" plumage aspect: