September 2022 Quiz

 

March. Vancouver Island.

Age: A standard adult, four-cycle, gull.

Identification: Our September Quiz bird has light gray upperparts with rather extensive black on the wingtip. Note, however, the black on the wingtip is less-than true black, with a suspicious gray quality. The underside to the far wing reinforces this coloration. The smudged head marks, apparent dark eye, and fairly straight bill with orange-red gonys spot all support Thayer's Gull, which often shows a California-gull-like gape line. The pigment on the wingtip approaches the darkest extreme in this taxon, with no p9 mirror and the visible inner web being grayish black. This individual shows very fresh tips to all of its flight feathers for mid-March. Finally, it's worth noting that the white tips to the inner primaries can be relatively broad on some Iceland Gulls, even broader than what's seen here. 

September 2022 Monthly Notables

 Sightings:

• Thayer's Gull (3rd cycle). Gambell, Alaska. 03 September 2022.
• Black-headed Gull (adult). Bergen & Hudson County, New Jersey. 04 September 2022.
• Great Black-backed Gull (adult type). Mobile County, Alabama. 04 September 2022.
• Heermann's Gull (2nd cycle). Baltimore County, Maryland. 04 September 2022.
• Apparently returning 1st State Record individual from March-May 2022, then a 1st cycle.
• California Gull (1st cycle). Cameron County, Texas. 05 September 2022.
• Black-legged Kittiwake (1st cycle). Bronx & Queens County, New York. 07 September 2022.
• Little Gull (juvenile). Sedgwick County, Colorado. 07 September 2022. 
• Black-legged Kittiwake (2nd cycle). Albany County, New York. 08 September 2022.
• Became progressively ill over the week and found dead on 14 September 2022.
• Laughing Gull (1st cycle). Washoe County, Nevada. 07 September 2022.
• Lesser Black-backed Gull (2nd cycle). Capital District, British Columbia. 10 September 2022.
• Yellow-footed Gull (2nd cycle). Clark County, Nevada. 14 September 2022.
• Apparently long-staying individual first found here September 2022 as 1st cycle.
• Lesser Black-backed Gull (adult). Jefferson County, Washington. 16 September 2022.
• Little Gull (2nd cycle). Morgan County, Colorado. 16 September 2022.
• Red-legged Kittiwake (adult). Nome County, Alaska. 17 September 2022.
• First eBird Record for Nome.
• Franklin's Gull (adult type). Barnstable County, Massachusetts. 19 September 2022.
• Short-billed Gull (1st cycle). Adak Island. Alaska. 22 September 2022.
• Little Gull (adult). Buffalo County, South Dakota. 23 September 2022.
• Glaucous-winged Gull (4th cycle type). Douglas County, Wisconsin. 24 September 2022.
• Lesser Black-backed Gull (adult). St Paul Island. Alaska. 24 September 2022.
• First Bering Sea Record. p1-p3 new, p4 dropped, p5-p10 old. Subspecies unknown. 
• Lesser Black-backed Gull (adult). Clallam County, Washington. 25 September 2022.
• California Gull (2nd cycle). Berrien County, Michigan. 27 September 2022.
• Black-legged Kittiwake (juvenile). Renfrew County, Ontario. 28 September 2022.
• Franklin's Gull (1st cycle). Wakulla County, Florida. 28 September 2022. 
• Heermann's Gull (4th cycle). Duval County, Florida. 28 September 2022.
• Atlantic Coast bird now in 4th basic plumage.
• Black-headed Gull (2nd cycle). Queens County, New York. 30 September 2022.
• Continuing from June 2022. 2nd basic plumage indistinguishable from adult.

Notes:

1. Lesser Black-backed Gull continues to expand its footprint in western North America. At least 2 individuals were reported in Washington, 4 individuals from California, a single bird on Vancouver Island, and most surprisingly, an adult on St Paul Island, constitutes a 1st for the Bering Sea.