Monthly Notables September 2015

• Slaty-backed Gull (3rd cycle type). Potter County, Texas. 01 September 2015.
• Observer field notes and photos all point to this species. 
• Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Pierce County, Washington. 02 September 2015.
• Unprecedented for the lower 48 states, this individual is thought to be a returning bird since 2012.
• Western Gull (1st cycles). Imperial County, California. 02 September 2015.
• 5 individuals. Good count for Salton Sea. Slowly increasing here.
• Glaucous Gull (2nd cycle). Grays Harbor County, Washington. 04 September 2015.
• Little Gull (juvenile). Roseau County, Minnesota. 05 September 2015.
• Laughing Gull (juvenile). Iowa County, Iowa. 07 September 2015.
• Lesser Black-backed Gull (3rd cycle). Imperial County, California. 13 September 2015.
• Little Gulls (adult and juvenile). Porter County, Indiana. 08 September 2015.
• The same two individuals (presumably) were sighted again, in Berrien County, MI on 12 September 2015. Adults are rarer on the southern edge of Lake Michigan.
• Red-legged Kittiwake (adult type). Callam County, Washington. 08 September 2015.
• 11th State Record.
• California Gull (1st cycle). Douglas County, Wisconsin. 16 September 2015.
• A very cooperative bird associating with Ring-billeds for several days.
• Glaucous Gull (2nd cycle). Ottawa County, Michigan. 19 September 2015.
• Ross's Gull (adult). Les Escoumins, Quebec. 19 September 2015.
• Likely the same individual that was recorded in this area last month on 04-06 August 2015.
• Laughing Gull (adult). Monterey County, California. 20 September 2015.
• Herring Gull (adult). Berrien County, Michigan. 20 September 2015.
• New longevity record. A banded adult found in New Buffalo has been identified by the Bird Banding Lab as the oldest known American Herring Gull in North America: 29 years and 3 months.
• Black-headed Gull (adult). Barnstable County, Massachusetts. 20 September 2015.
• Thayer's Gull (1st cycle). St. Louis County, Minnesota. 24 September 2015.
• Black-legged Kittiwakes. Barnstable County, Massachusetts. 27 September 2015.
• Seen all throughout September. High count 50. Mostly adults. Juveniles began arriving as early as 16 September 2015. Also sightings in both Suffolk and Norfolk Counties.

September 2015 Quiz

MICHIGAN CITY, INDIANA. 30 AUGUST 2015.

Age: This gull is undergoing its 2nd prebasic molt. The 9th primary is about halfway grown out, while the tip to the 10th primary is barely peeking out next to the greater primary coverts. About half of the secondaries (outers) have grown out and the other half (inners) are dropped.

The upperwing is dark and solidly filled. At first glance one might consider a 2nd cycle Lesser Black-acked Gull or even 2nd cycle California Gull, but there are a few problems for those species.

The tail band is wide (especially along the outer tail feathers) and this isn't very typical in LBBG. The pink-based bill is okay for a California Gull but it would be unusual for a Lesser molting into 2nd basic, particularly the sharply demarcated black tip. The inner primaries are a silvery gray and show strong contrast with the rest of the wing (often found in Herrings). Both California and Lesser Black-backeds show less contrasty inner primaries. Zooming in, one can see new pale gray mantle feathers right down the center of the back. This contradicts a black-backed species and rules out LBBG.

Our quiz bird is a 2nd cycle Herring Gull. The take-away here is that 2nd cycle Herrings can have really dark upperparts in their 2nd plumage cycle. In the summer months some can have very dark plumage aspects. The resemblance to a 2nd cycle Lesser Black-backed is only superficial, though.

Here's a 2nd cycle Lesser Black-backed in a similar molt state for comparison:



NEW BUFFALO, MICHIGAN. 20 SEPTEMBER 2015.

Notice how the inner primaries don't contrast with the rest of the wing as much as the quiz bird. The gray on the scapulars/mantle is more of a slaty-charcoal color and not pale gray. Most of the bill is still black, although it could be partly black and partly pale in LBBGs at this age.