October Monthly Quiz

 

California. September.

Age: A big brown job showing a mostly black bill, extensive pale edging to the wing coverts and tertials, and importantly, juvenile scapulars. Thus, this individual is a juvenile proper in its "1st basic plumage". Note that juvenile plumage is synonymous with 1st basic plumage.

Identification: The bill is fairly long and straight (no noticeable expansion to the gonys) and the wing projection is also noticeably long, which points to a juvenile California Gull. Ring-billed Gull at this age typically shows silvery greater coverts and is not so solid dark on the underparts (breast, belly and flanks). Western has a shorter wing projection and overall bulkier proportions, most noticeably with a bulbous-tipped bill. American Herring might be considered, but it too has a thicker bill, shorter wings and a proportionally larger head. The rust-brown tones to the neck and underparts suggest some elements of what is known as a "cinnamon type" California Gull, and that is indeed what our October 2024 Quiz is. 

October Monthly Notables

Sightings:

• Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Nipissing County, Ontario. 13 October 2024.
• Ross's Gull (adult). Lambton County, Ontario. 15 October 2024.
• Iceland Gull (1st cycle). Stark County, Ohio. 18 October 2024.
• Early eBird record for this month. 
• Black-tailed Gull (adult type). Elgin County, Ontario. 19 October 2024.
• 2nd Province Record.
• Lesser Black-backed Gull (2nd cycle). Sooke County; Vancouver Island; BC. 20 October 2024.
• Gray Gull (adult type). Walton County, Florida. 21 October 2024.
• Seen consistently through the 21st. Now with flight feather mostly renewed.
• Thayer's Gull (1st cycle). Galveston County, Texas. 28 October 2024.
• Early.
• Little Gull (1st cycle). Caddo Parish, Louisiana. 28 October 2024.
• Common Gull (adult). Knox County, Maine. 31 October 2024.

September Monthly Notables

Sightings:

• Black-legged Kitiwake (adult). Calgary County, Alberta. 09 September 2024.
• Black-headed Gull (adult). Erie County, New York. 09 September 2024.
• Sabine's Gull (juveniles - 5). Erie County, New York. 09 September 2024.
• Sabine's Gull (juveniles - 8). Cook County, Illinois. 14 September 2024.
• Black-headed Gull (adult). Whatcom County, Washington. 14 September 2024.
• Sabine's Gull (juveniles - 10). Polk County, Iowa. 15 September 2024.
• Black-headed Gull (adult). Anchorage Municipality, Alaska. 17 September 2024.
• Sabine's Gull (juveniles - 17). Hamilton County, Ontario. 18 September 2024.
• Sabine's Gull (juveniles - 16). St. Clair County, Michigan. 18 September 2024. 
• Sabine's Gull (juveniles - 35). Douglas County, Wisconsin. 19 September 2024.
• Sabine's Gull (juveniles - 6). Hitchcock County, Nebraska. 21 September 2024.
• Sabine's Gull (juveniles - 17). Lambton County, Ontario. 22 September 2024.
• Sabine's Gull (juveniles - 15). Platte County, Wyoming. 22 September 2024
• Sabine's Gull (juveniles - 7). Barton County, Kansas. 22 September 2024.
• Sabine's Gull (juveniles - 9). Kalamazoo County, Michigan. 24 September 2024.
• Sabine's Gull (juveniles - 6). Comal County, Texas. 24 September 2024
• Sabine's Gull (juveniles - 6). Hood River County, Oregon. 25 September 2024
• Sabine's Gull (juveniles - 10). Clay County, Missouri. 25 September 2024.
• Sabine's Gull (juveniles - 13). Jefferson County, Colorado. 26 September 2024
• Sabine's Gull (juveniles - 5). Inyo County, California. 26 September 2024
• Sabine's Gull (juveniles - 4). Coconino County, Arizona. 30 September 2024
• Gray Gull (adult type). Walton County, Florida. 30 September 2024.
• Returning 1st ABA Record bird, continuing in Walton County all month.

Notes:

• An unusually high number of Sabine's Gulls pushed through the interior this month, beginning in the second week of September. Although September is the month they're most expect inland, this was a banner event, with many states breaking high count records for the species. As expected in the interior, almost all were juveniles. Similarly, excellent numbers were recorded offshore in California (mixed ages with adults being the majority). Apparently, this was due to a wonderful coincidence of observer's being present at feeding sites during offshore pelagic trips, and seems to be unrelated to the event that took place inland.

eBird map with September 2024 sightings of Sabine's Gulls throughout the interior.

September 2024 Quiz

 

August. Indiana.

Age: Overall, this appears to be an adult-type gull based on the white body, white tail and clean gray upperwing. 

Identification: Our September bird is somewhat of a mystery, but a well-known individual that has summered on the Illinois/Indiana state line for the last 20 years. Most people who got the correct answer this month were already familiar with "The Colonel", a putative hybrid between Laughing and Ring-billed Gull (which means this is likely the most popular hybrid gull in the ABA Area). 

I was impressed by several responses that gave an analysis of why the bird reminded them of Laughing Gull & Ring-billed Gull.

In any event, here's The Colonel in April, sporting its alternate plumage and with outer primaries fully grown:

August 2024 Monthly Notables

Sightings:

• Ivory Gull (2 adults). Baffin County, Nunavut. 04 August 2024.
• Short-billed Gull (juvenile). San Mateo County, California. 07 August 2024.
• Black-headed Gull (adult). Washington County, Utah. 10 August 2024.
• 1ST STATE RECORD.
• Little Gull (2nd cycle). Teton County, Montana. 10 August 2024. 
• 6th State Record. 
• Short-billed Gull (adult). Larimer County, Colorado. 11 August 2024.
• California Gull (2nd cycle). Galveston County, Texas. 14 August 2024.
• Little Gull (juvenile). Carbon County, Montana. 18 August 2024.
• 7th(?) State Record.
• Little Gull (juvenile). Pierce County, Washington. 20 August 2024.
• Gray Gull (4th cycle type). Escambia County, Florida. 24 August 2024.
• Presumably, the 1st ABA individual found in the summer of 2023. 
• Yellow-footed Gull (4th cycle). Clark County, Nevada. 30 August 2024.
• Presumably a returning individual, first found in March 2022 as a 1st cycle.
• Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Petersburg Borough, Alaska. 24 August 2024.
• Heermann's Gull (6th cycle/adult). Dare County, North Carolina. 26 August 2024.
• Atlantic Coast bird lingering here since June.
• Ross's Gull (juvenile). Gambell, Alaska. 30 August 2024.

Notes: 

1. Sadly, Yellow-footed Gull numbers continue to "sink" at the Salton Sea. Luke Tiller and others reported very low numbers this summer with August seeing mostly singletons. A high count of 6 was reported by Ethan Matsuyama on 07 August 2024. Receding water levels and a lack of fish are to blame. 

2. "The" Gray Gull is back! Last seen in Alabama in April 2024, this time it was found just a smidgen east of the Alabama/Florida state line in Perdido Key. Where this bird spent the last four months is a mystery. It's sporting a basic head pattern with most secondaries retained (3rd basic), showing worn tips and reduced white. p1-p7 have been renewed (4th basic), p8 dropped and p9-p10 are old (3rd basic). It'll be very exciting to see what this bird does from here on out. 

3. Jens Wikström and others photographed a juvenile Ross's Gull from a ship off Svalbard on 20 August 2024. Although not in North America, it's included here because photos of juvenile Ross's Gulls with brown necks and brown mantle feathers are extremely rare! Then incidentally, another 1st cycle Ross's Gull was seen off the Gambell Seawatch on 30 August 2024 showing a similar neck and back pattern, but with noticeable formative feathers already grown in. 

August 2024 Quiz

 

June. New York.

Age: Both individuals are molting mid-outer primaries. These are one-year olds in their 2nd molt cycle (undergoing their 2nd prebasic molt).

The new inner primaries are 2nd generation (2nd basic) and the retained outer primaries are juvenile (1st basic). Both individuals have retained juvenile secondaries, and the individual on the right has retained juvenile tail feathers (which hold an important pattern used for identification).  

Identification: Notice the largely black bill on the individual on the left. This is a larger bird with massive bill, bull-neck and blocky head. The solid dark upperparts and whitish body point directly to Great Black-backed, which it is. The paler individual on the right with black bill tip and silvery scapulars is a typical American Herring, as suggested by the dark tail base. 

July 2024 Monthly Notables

Sightings:

• Heermann's Gull (adult). Dare County, North Carolina. 02 July 2024.
• Apparent Atlantic Coast bird continuing in NC for the time being. 
• Heermann's Gull (adult type). Fremont County, Idaho. 07 July 2024.
• 1ST STATE RECORD.
• Black-tailed Gull (adult). Mackinac County, Michigan. 08 July 2024.
• 1st County Record. Drifting Lake Michigan individual from May-June. 
• Sabine's Gull (1st cycle type). Worcester County, Maryland. 09 July 2024.
• Apparently, continuing individual from June. 
• California Gull (2nd cycle). Erie County, Pennsylvania. 11 July 2024.
• California Gull (4th cycle type). Pinellas County, Florida. 13 July 2024.
• California Gull (2nd cycle). Ashtabula County, Ohio. 15 July 2024.
• Apparently, the same individual from Erie, PA, found ~30 miles west.
• Little Gull (2nd cycle). Kings County, New York. 16 July 2024.
• Heermann's Gull (3rd cycle type). Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. 21 July 2024.
• 1ST STATE RECORD.
• Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Anchorage Municipality, Alaska. 21 July 2024.
• California Gull (3rd cycle). Kent County, Delaware. 24 July 2024.
• 2nd State Record.
• Heermann's Gull (3rd cycle type). Harrison County, Mississippi. 29 July 2024.
• 1ST STATE RECORD. Appears to be the same individual from Louisiana.

Notes:

1. Although not in North America, a 2nd cycle type Audouin's Gull was found in Barbados on 20 June 2024 -- a first for this small island country, and incidentally, a first for the West Indies proper. Between 2017 and present, anywhere from 5-8 Audouin's Gulls (of all ages) have been found throughout the southern Caribbean and n. South America. Usually, extralimital gulls from Europe and Asia are found in North America, but this species seems to have a particular liking to this region, just north of the equator. Could one reach or have already reached the shores of the United States? Whatever the case, it is noteworthy and North American observers, especially those in the south between Texas and Florida, should give those Ring-billed and Laughing Gull flocks a closer look.