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.
• 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.
• Little Gull (juv.) Franklin County, Illinois. 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. 

July 2026 Monthly Notables

Sightings:

• Laughing Gull (1st cycle type). Douglas County, Kansas. 01 July 2026.
• Iceland Gull. (2nd cycle type). Cape May County, New Jersey. 02 July 2026. 
• California Gull (3rd cycle). Sheboygan County, Wisconsin. 04 July 2026.
• Sabine's Gull (adult). Washington County, Rhode Island. 05 July 2026.
• 6th nonpelagic State record.
• Sabine's Gull (adult). Suffolk County, New York. 08 July 2026.
• Little Gull (2nd cycle). Suffolk County, New York. 13 July 2026.
• Franklin's Gull (adult). Fairfax County, Virginia. 20 July 2026.
• Ross's Gull (2nd cycle). St. Paul Island. Alaska. 20 July 2026.
• 3rd Summer record for the island.
• Lesser Black-backed Gull (2nd cycle). Okanagan-Similkameen, British Columbia. 23 July 2026.
• Franklin's Gull (adult). Richmond County, New York. 23 July 2026.
• Heermann's Gull (1st cycle). New Mexico. 25 July 2026.
• 8th State record.
• Black-headed Gull (adult). Niagara County, New York. 30 July 2026.
• Kelp Gull (adult). Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. 31 July 2026.
• Continuing. Failed nest.

June 2026 Monthly Notables

Sightings:

• Laughing Gull (adult). Humboldt County, California. 02 June 2026.
• Kamchatka Gull (adult). Adak Island. Alaska. 03 June 2026.
• Continuing from May, 2026.
• Black-legged Kittiwake (2nd cycle). Grays Harbor County, Washington. 03 June 2026.
• California Gull (4th cycle type). Racine County, Wisconsin. 10 June 2026.
• Glaucous Gull (2nd cycle type). Coos County, Oregon. 11 June 2026.
• Ivory Gull (2nd cycle). Nome, Alaska. 12 June 2026.
• Black-headed Gull (2nd cycle). Anchorage, Alaska. 17 June 2026.
• Franklin's Gull (adult). Prince County, Prince Edward Island. 19 June 2026.
• Potential 4th Provincial Record. 
• California Gull (adult type). Racine County, Wisconsin. 23 June 2026.
• California Gull (2nd cycle). Cape May County, New Jersey. 24 June 2026.
• Western Gull (2nd cycle type). Chaffee County, Colorado. 08 June 2026.
• Kelp Gull (adult). Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. 30 June 2026.
• Continuing. 

May 2026 Monthly Notables

Sightings:

• Short-billed Gull (adult). Le Rocher-Percé Regional County, Quebec. 02 May 2026.
• Only the 9th Provincial record, and the first since 2017. 
• Ross's Gull (1st cycle). Lethbridge County, Alberta. 04 May 2026
• 1st Provincial Record continuing from April.
• Black-headed Gull (adult). Essex County, Ontario. 07 May 2026.
• Ivory Gull (1st cycle). Homer, Alaska. 10 May 2026.
• Little Gull (adult). Comox-Strathcona District, British Columbia. 10 May 2026.
• Ring-billed Gull (adult). Fairbanks, Alaska. 13 May 2026.
• Little Gull (1st cycle). Comox-Strathcona District, British Columbia. 14 May 2026.
• Kelp Gull (adult). Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. 23 May 2026.
• Continuing all month, now on nest.  
• California Gull (2nd cycle). Sheboygan County, Wisconsin. 23 May 2026.
• Kamchatka Gull (adult). Adak Island. Alaska. 25 May 2026.
• Western Gull (2nd cycle). Chaffee County, Colorado. 25 May 2026.
• Continuing from April.
• Short-billed Gull (adult). Gambell, Alaska. 27 May 2026.
• Western Gull (4th cycle type). Davis County, Utah. 29 May 2026.
• Continuing from April. 
• Short-billed Gull (adult). Rimouski-Neigette County, Quebec. 31 May 2026.
• Likely the same individual from Coin-du-Banc earlier in the month, some 400 km away.
• 
  

Notes: 

1. On 07 May 2026, Joachim Bertrands reported 22,400 Sabine's Gulls offshore on the Canadian side of Swiftsure Bank (British Columbia). The report describes the sighting "like locusts" with a presence of 30,000+ birds likely.
    
2. On 12 May 2026, Josh Spice, reported the same apparent female type Ring-billed Gull in Fairbanks, Alaska, paired up with a Short-billed Gull. No nest found although the two birds were recorded copulating. It must be noted that the bill pattern and wingtip pattern are both inconsistent with a typical Ring-billed, and thus, the presumption that some Short-billed influence is at work might be considered. 

April 2026 Monthly Notables

Sightings:

• Black-headed Gull (adult). Winnipeg County, Manitoba. 02 April 2026.
• Great Black-backed Gull (adult & 1st cycle). Winnipeg County, Manitoba. 02 April 2026.
• Ivory Gull (adult). Yukon County, Yukon Territories. 05 April 2026.
• Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Winnipeg County, Manitoba. 08 April 2026.
• 2nd Provincial Record. 
• Western Gull (adult type). Mohave County, New Mexico. 10 April 2026.
• Western Gull (3rd cycle type). Davis County, Utah. 14 April 2026.
• Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Fort McMurray, Alberta. 18 April 2026.
• 1st for the Fort Murray region. Same bird from southern Manitoba.* 
• Western Gull (1st cycle). Chaffee County, Colorado. 19 April 2026.
• KELP GULL (adult). Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. 19 April 2026.
• Returning now for at least year 3. Copulating with American Herring and nest-building.*
• Little Gull (2nd cycle). Accomack County, Virginia. 24 April 2025.
• California Gull (adult type). San Bernardino County, California. 25 April 2026.
• First for Morongo Valley since 2014.
• Ross's Gull (1st cycle). Lethbridge County, Alberta. 29 April 2026.
• 1st Provincial Record.

Notes: 

1. The Manitoba Slaty-backed Gull was found some 1,000 miles away in the Fort McMurray, Alberta area just eight days after it was last seen in Manitoba. This is a fascinating data point several reasons: 1) It is the first record for the Fort McMurray region, 2) It reinforces just how much distance gulls are capable of covering in a short period, and 3) The bird is presumably on a northwest trajectory, as it should be.  

2. The Milwaukee, Wisconsin Kelp Gull has returned for another breeding season. First detected in the summer of 2024 and well-documented in the summer of 2025, this is now year 3 of it nesting in an American Herring Gull colony. 

3. At least 3 Western Gulls were reported in the interior West this month, following a pattern of increased reports away from the Pacific Coast in recent years. Whether the species is undergoing a period of exploratory behavior that will evolve into range expansion, or simply coincidence, remains to be seen.  

March 2026 Monthly Notables

Sightings:

• Glaucous-winged Gull (adult). Kenosha County, Wisconsin. 01 March 2026.
• 2nd County Record. Same individual from Lake County, IL in February.
• Short-billed Gull (adult). Cuyahoga County, Ohio. 03 March 2026.
• Glaucous-winged Gull (adult type). Tompkins County, New Yortk. 07 March 2026.
• Continuing from last month.
• Black-headed Gull (adult). Palm Beach County, Florida. 10 March 2026.
• Continuing form winter 2025-2026.
• Short-billed Gull (adult). Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin. 13 March 2026.
• California Gull (Adult). Lake County, Illinois. 17 March 2026.
• Thayer's Gull (1st cycle). Marion County, Indiana. 17 March 2026.
• 1st County Record.
• Little Gull (adult). Grayson County, Texas. 18 March 2026.
• Short-billed Gull (adult). Fairfield County, Connecticut. 22 March 2026.
• Black-tailed Gull (adult type). Harrison County, Mississippi. 24 March 2026. 
• 1ST STATE RECORD

February 2026 Monthly Notables

Sightings:

• Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Galveston County, Texas. 02 February 2026.
  
• 1st County Record.
• Glaucous-winged Gull (3rd cycle type). Middlesex County, New Jersey. 04 February 2026. 
• 1ST STATE RECORD.
• Vega Gull (adult). San Mateo County, California. 06 February 2026.
• Returning adult - "Maybeline". 
• Kamchatka Gull (adult). Fairfield County, Connecticut. 06 February 2026.
• Continuing; returning bird.
• Black-headed Gull (adult). Palm Beach County, Florida. 07 February 2026.
• Continuing.
• Kelp Gull (3rd cycle). Willacy County, Texas. 08 February 2026.
• Believed to be the returning coastal TX bird, first found as a 1st cycle in Dec 2024.
• Short-billed Gull (1st cycle). Dallas County, Texas. 09 February 2026.
• Short-billed Gull (adult). Lake County, Illinois. 10 February 2026.
• Ivory Gull (2 ad; 1 ad). Labrador-Happy Valley-Goose Bay County, NL. 10-23 February 2026.
• Offshore survey.
• Vega Gull (3rd cycle). San Diego County, California. 10 February 2026.
• Believed to be the same individual from LA County in Dec 2025; presumably a returning bird from last winter in San Diego County.
• Glaucous-winged Gull (2nd cycle). Manitowoc County, Wisconsin. 10 February 2026.
• Vega Gull (adult). Alameda County, California. 12 February 2026.
• Common Gull (adult). Lake County, Illinois. 14 February 2026.
• 1ST STATE RECORD*.
• Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia. 16 February 2026.
• 4th Provincial Record.
• Short-billed Gull (adult). Richmond County, New York. 16 February 2026.
• Short-billed Gull (adult). Crawford County, Arkansas. 17 February 2026.
• Continuing. 
• Vega Gull (adult). San Mateo County, California. 17 February 2026.
• Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Franklin County, Washington. 17 February 2026.
• Continuing; returning adult.
• Glaucous-winged Gull (adult). Lake County, Illinois. 17 February 2026.
• Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Nunatsiavut-Nain County, NL. 19 February 2026. 
• Offshore.
• Glaucous-winged Gull (3rd cycle type). Tompkins County, New York. 25 February 2026.

Notes:

• Much like the last couple of months, a gentle incursion of Short-billed Gulls and Glaucous-winged Gulls continued in the East. Whether the latter come from the North American continent or Asia -- or both -- is impossible to know. 
• The adult Common Gull found in Lake County, Illinois on 14 February 2026, showed multiple characteristics consistent with the Russian taxon, Larus canus heinei. Experts who are firmly familiar with heinei agree it conforms to that race, which would prove to be the first verifiable record of Russian Common Gull in the Western Hemisphere.