Monthly Notables August 2019

Sightings:

• Lesser Black-backed Gull (4th cycle type). North Slope County, Alaska. 02 August 2019.
• Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Kenai Peninsula County, Alaska. 05 August 2019.
• Laughing Gull (2nd cycle type). Manicouagan County, Quebec. 05 August 2019.
• Little Gull (1st cycle). Durham County, North Carolina. 24 August 2019.
• Laughing Gull (juvenile). Beauharnois-Salaberry County, Quebec. 26 August 2019.
• California Gull (1st cycle). Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska. 27 August 2019.
• Lesser Black-backed Gull (adult). Del Norte County, California. 30 August 2019.
• First County Record. 
• Heermann's Gull (1st cycle). Brevard County, Florida. 31 August 2019.

August 2019 Quiz

Age: Our quiz bird is right of center. A brown, nondescript, individual with juvenile primaries and upperparts. We can be sure this is a 1st cycle gull. The dark eye in this species is kept as an adult, but the leg color soon transitions to yellow.

Identification: For reference, we have a distinct Heermann's Gull on the left and our quiz bird is not much different in size. The bill appears a tad longer and perhaps a tad slimmer than the Heermann's Gull. The weakly patterned undertail coverts, long downward gape, white forehead, and of course, size, all point to California Gull. Ordinarily, this species appears much longer-winged than seen here, but this is due to posture and the angle at which the primaries are being held over the tail (slightly away). Nonetheless, the structure is attenuated in the rear and the proportions are delicate, and not large and bulky, as presumably, other large west coast species. The scapulars on this bird are notably broad, large and dark-centered. There is quite a bit of variation in California Gull scapular patterns, just as with most other large, four-year gulls.

San Mateo County, California. September. 

Monthly Notables July 2019

Sightings:

• Little Gull (1st cycle). Norfolk County, Ontario. 02 July 2019.
• Glaucous Gull (2nd cycle). Lake County, Illinois. 06 July 2019.
• Franklin's Gull (subadult type). District of Columbia. 08 July 2019.
• Lesser Black-backed Gull (3rd cycle). San Francisco County, California. 08 July 2019.
• Iceland Gull (2nd cycle). Barnstable County, Massachusetts. 11 July 2019.
• Glaucous Gull (2nd cycle). Sanilac County, Michigan. 17 July 2019.
• Laughing Gull (adult).  Labrador-Happy Valley-Goose Bay County, NL. 19 July 2019.
• 2nd Labrador Record.
• Laughing Gull (juvenile). Lancaster County, Nebraska. 19 July 2019.
• Great Black-backed Gull (1st cycle). Wabash County, Illinois. 24 July 2019.
• Laughing Gull (2nd cycle). Pinal County, Arizona. 26 July 2019.
• Heermann's Gull (juvenile). Polk County, Iowa. 28 July 2019.
• 1ST STATE RECORD. 
• California Gull (juvenile). Wilkin County, Minnesota. 28 July 2019.
  

Notes:

1. A belated report of the Pallas's Gull found on Shemya on 02 May 2019. The bird was found expired on 14 May 2019. The specimen has been preserved and is now at the University of Alaska Museum collection in Fairbanks.

July 2019 Quiz

Age: The darker bird on the left has an all-dark bill with a fair amount of juvenile scapulars and wing coverts. It's safe to age it as a 1st cycle. Given the leg color and largely juvenile plumage, we can assume it is a hatch year (HY). But what about the paler gull on the right? It too looks fine for a 1st cycle. Note its predominately brown-patterned wing coverts, post-juvenile scapulars with brown shaft streaks, notched tertials and pointed primaries. The gull on the right is undergoing a more extensive post-juvenile molt (gray lesser coverts coming in as well as a few inner median coverts). It also has a more advanced bill pattern and leg color.

Identification: The apparent difference in size and plumage aspects may suggest two different species, but this isn't the case. Based on bill size and overall proportions, they don't look like any of our large 4-year gulls. Both birds have relatively messy and contrasting upperparts and this is typical of young Ring-billed Gulls. The paler bird on the right is a typical 1st cycle Ring-billed. The pink bill base, paling white head and neck, silver-gray post-juvenile feathers and hints of a lightly marked tail band are supportive. The smaller bird on the left is also a Ring-billed, but perhaps one that hatched later in the breeding season. Mew Gull is eliminated by several features: 1) the wide bill base, 2) the gray inner greater covert, which Mews don't show in their hatch year, 3) the largely messy and contrasting plumage with dark-spotted post-juvenile upper scapulars. Mew shows a more warm aspect with softer textures and feather edges that are more broadly pale and uniform.

Both of these hatch year Ring-billed Gulls portray some of the variation found in this age group. Dark versus pale, and small versus large are appreciable differences that are encountered routinely.

August. Cook County, Illinois.