Monthly Notables September 2018

Sightings:

• Laughing Gull (juvenile). Marion County, Iowa. 03 September 2018.
• An immaculately fresh juvenile.
• Little Gull (juvenile). Lake County, Indiana. 03 September 2018.
• Black-legged Kittiwake (juvenile). Ozaukee County, Wisconsin. 07 September 2018.
• Black-headed Gull (1st cycle). Suffolk County, Massachusetts. 07 September 2018.
• Little Gull (juvenile). Cook County, Illinois. 10 September 2018.
• Great Black-backed Gull (adult type). Keith County, Nebraska. 12 September 2018.
• Black-legged Kittiwake (adult). Gallatin County, Montana. 12 September 2018.
• A rarely-seen adult bird. Only the 7th for the state and earliest fall record by two months.
• Little Gull (juvenile). Washington County, Colorado. 13 September 2018.
  
• Sabine's Gull (juvenile). Marion County, West Virginia. 14 September 2018.
• Only the 4th state record.
• Black-tailed Gull (3rd cycle type). Powell River District, British Columbia. 13 September 2018.
• Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Pierce County, Washington. 14 September 2018.
• Likely the same adult returning here since 2013.
• Glaucous Gull (2nd cycle). St. John's County, Newfoundland. 15 September 2018.
  
• Slaty-backed Gull (adult type). Metro Vancouver District, British Columbia. 16 September 2018.
• California Gull (adult). Lorain County, Ohio. 13 September 2018.
• Heermann's Gull (2nd cycle type). Pima County, Arizona. 18 September 2018.
• Mew Gull (adult). Larimer County, Colorado. 19 September 2018.
• Franklin's Gull (adult). Halifax County, Nova Scotia. 19 September 2018.
• Black-headed Gull (1st cycle). District of Columbia. 22 September 2018.
• First record for Washington DC since 1989.
• Lesser Black-backed Gull (3rd cycle type). Wasco County, Oregon. 24 September 2018.
• First county record.
• Black-legged Kittiwake (adult type). Peace River District, British Columbia. 24 September 2018.
• Laughing Gull (2nd cycle). Randolph County, Missouri. 26 September 2018.

September 2018 Quiz

Age: This rather small and compact gull displays a full tailband and brown-washed wing coverts. We can feel safe aging it as a 1st cycle. Of course extended views would be desired to better age our gull.

Identification: There's no question that this is a hooded species. Of note is the solid-patterned upperwing (right wing). It lacks a carpal bar, eliminating species such as Bonaparte's, Little and Black-headed. The bold eye crescents and semi-hooded appearance scream Franklin's Gull. Also supportive of Franklin's (over Laughing Gull) is the clean white wing linings and hind neck. If we zoom in, the tailband on Franklin's almost never reaches the outermost edge of the outer tail feathers, as is the case here.

This 1st cycle Franklin's Gull was photographed in Chicago, Illinois. October.

Monthly Notables August 2018

Sightings:

• Lesser Black-backed Gull (2nd cycle). San Luis Obispo County, California. 03 August 2018.
• Franklin's Gull (1st summer type). Fairfax County, Virginia. 04 August 2018.
• Laughing Gull (adult). Lunenberg County, Nova Scotia. 04 August 2018.
• Laughing Gull (juvenile). Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. 04 August 2018.
• Sabine's Gull (adult type). Sarasota County, Florida. 11 August 2018.
• The observer has had 3 Sabine's at this site in 14 months. 
• Great Black-backed Gull (adult). Sweetwater County, Wyoming. 13 August 2018.
• Possibly the same individual seen here last August.
• Mew Gull (2nd cycle). Arapahoe County, Colorado. 13 August 2018.
• Lesser Black-backed Gull (adult). Mendocino County, California. 14 August 2018.
• Apparently the 3rd LBBG seen in California this summer. 
• Black-legged Kittiwake (juvenile). Hamilton County, Ontario. 20 August 2018.
• Common Gull (adult). St. John's County, Newfoundland & Labrador. 24 August 2018.
• Herring Gull (3rd cycle type). San Francisco County, California. 25 August 2018.

Miscellaneous Notes:

• On 01 August 2018, Jean-Guy Beaulieu found and photographed a banded 1st summer Black-legged Kittiwake in Les Escoumins, Quebec. After doing a little investigating, I received a reply from a French biologist who claimed the bird - apparently the first banded French kittiwake to be found on mainland America. More here.

August 2018 Quiz

Age: Focusing on the two individuals with heads upright, we can be fairly confident these are adult, large white-headed gulls (LWHG).

Identification: The black-backed gull should be the easier to identify from this duo. Given its relative size, we should readily dismiss Great Black-backed Gull. This appears to be a slim and long-winged gull. The red gonys spot is enlarged and the bill itself is relatively straight with virtually no expansion at the gonys. The streaking on the face is made up of thin, pencil-like, streaks. All of these features make this yellow-eyed critter a Lesser Black-backed Gull  

The noticeably larger gull to the left with paler gray upperparts is superficially similar to a Herring, but it isn't one. Notice the black on the primaries is not a jet black like the other gulls in the photo. That, along with the extensive white on the primaries should convince us we may have something other than a Herring in view. The darkish eye and greenish tinge to the bill match up nicely with Thayer's Iceland Gull, as does the extent of pigment on the primaries.

Our August Quiz photo is indeed of a Thayer's Gull (left) and Lesser Black-backed Gull (right).
Chicago, Illinois. January.