Gull Watching: Little Gull

So I'm taking a break from the large white-headed gulls to show you Little Gull.  This is one of my favorite gulls.  These photos were taken on an overcast, snowy day this past February, so please excuse the slightly off focus and mediocre lighting on some of them.

First cycle Little Gull.  Note black ulnar bars creating M on upperparts, light gray mantle and scapulars, slate-colored cap, and dark black carpal patch.  Size, although not obvious here, is smaller than Boneparte's and Black-headed Gulls. Feb. 2011, Dunkirk, NY [Photo by Lukas Musher]

First cycle Little Gull. Note wing pattern (as above), short tail, short, relatively straight bill, and rounded wings. Feb. 2011, Dunkirk, NY [Photo by Lukas Musher

First cycle Little Gull.  Note shape, structure, and pattern of upperparts same as above.  Feb. 2011, Dunkirk, NY [Photo by Lukas Musher]

Adult Little Gull.  Note structure same as above. gray upperparts with pale wingtips. Feb 2011, Dunkirk, NY [Photo by Lukas Musher]

Adult Little Gull.  Note, underwing pattern distinctive, all black.  No other North American gull shows this combination of pale upperparts and dark underwing.  Wings rounded, bill short and straight. Feb. 2011, Dunkirk, NY [Photo by Lukas Musher]

By Luke Musher

Gull Watching: Glaucous Gull

So I don't have any photos of adult Glaucous Gulls, but I have some photos of a first cycle bird that I think could be cool to share on the blog.  I wish I had some adults to share, but we'll have to do without.  Adults will have the same structural features and will be very pale gray on the upperparts with white wing tips and yellow bill.  Let's look at the first cycle bird though.

First cycle Glaucous Gull. Note long heavy bill, flat crown, large and stocky in size and shape, and mostly white plumage.  Bill brightly bicolored, pink-based and black-tipped.  February 2011.  Pelagic out of Lewes, DE. [Photo by Lukas Musher]

Glaucous Gull with Herring Gull. Note whitish plumage and wings.  February 2011. Pelagic out of Lewes, DE. [Photo by Lukas Musher]

See previous posts for species list in this photo.  First cycle Glaucous Gull (center-right).  Note that this bird is large and heavy-bodied with broad wings and a large pink and black bicolored bill, flat crown with bulging forehead.  White with brown wash, and nearly white flight feathers. February 2011. Pelagic out of Lewes, DE. [Photo by Lukas Musher]

Presumed "Nelson's" Gull, Herring X Glaucous Gull hybrid.   Note structural features similar to pure Glaucous Gull, with darker plumage (though still rather pale), brownish flight feathers, and heavy bicolored bill.  February 2011.  Pelagic out of Lewes, DE. [Photo by Lukas Musher]

Compare these photos with first cycle Iceland Gull (to come).

By Luke Musher

Gull Watching: Lesser Black-backed Gull

Our next gull is a cool one, Lesser Black-backed Gull.  This dark-backed can be superficially similar to other dark-mantled gulls and even Herring Gull.  Let's look at some photos, including one interesting bird in Spain.

Four Gull Species.  Clockwise from left (ignore right-most cut-off gull): adult Herring Gull, adult Lesser Black-backed Gull (LBBG), adult Herring Gull, 2 Adult Herring Gull, first cycle Great Black-backed Gull, first cycle Glaucous Gull, Adult Herring Gull, second Cycle (?) Herring Gull.  For LBBG, note darker upperparts than adult Herring Gulls, lone white spot on P10 (outermost primary) only, long slender wings, white tail.  February 2011. Pelagic out of Lewes, DE. [Photo by Lukas Musher]

Adult Lesser Black-backed Gull (right) with first cycle Great Black-backed Gull (GBBG, left).  For LBBG, note relatively short yellow bill with red gonydeal spot, rounded head, slender neck (although this character is amplified by the fact that its neck is outstretched), yellow legs, heavy streaking on head and neck, especially around the eye, primaries and secondaries appear dark gray from underneath.  Compare heavy-set, stocky appearance to GBBG February 2011. Pelagic off of Lewes, DE. [Photo by Lukas Musher]

Molting adult Lesser Black-backed Gull.  Note, obvious molt occurring in primaries, primary coverts, rectrices, and greater coverts.  Shortened greater coverts expose white bases to secondaries giving the appearance of white patches where there usually are none.  Primary coverts are white, although this is unusual in American birds as far as I know (Steve Howell says it's common in Europe).  Also note many of the same features as above. September 2010.  Cadiz, Spain. [Photo by Lukas Musher]

Adult/third cycle Lesser Black-backed Gull (center), first cycle Great Black-backed Gull (left center), and Herring Gulls (most other gulls).  For LBBG note, mostly same features as above except for black splotch on bill.  February 2011. Pelagic off of Lewes, DE. [Photo by Lukas Musher]

Herring Gulls, adult Great Black-backed Gull (bottom left), and second cycle Lesser Black-backed Gull (indicated by arrow).  For LBBG note fairly clean white uppertail coverts contrasting with black tail, brown wings with dark gray back, same structural characters as above (e.g. slender, round headed, etc.). February 2011.  Pelagic off of Lewes, DE. [Photo by Lukas Musher]

Feel free to post with questions, comments or concerns.

By Luke Musher

Gull Watching: Herring Gull

Sorry about the delay on my second gull post.  In the future, I'll try to post a new gull every day, but I may take two days to do so from time to time.  Anyway, back to the gulls.  Let's look at some photographs of Herring Gulls.  I unfortunately couldn't find any photos of Herring Gulls standing or even sitting on the water in my files, so bear with the photographs.

Adult Herring Gull (left) with Great Black-backed Gull.  Note size, fairly large, although clearly smaller than Great Black-backed Gull, relatively skinny compared to other large gulls, pale gray upperparts, white tail, heavily streaked head and neck, pink legs. February 2011, Pelagic out of Lewes, DE. [Photo by Lukas Musher]

Adult Herring Gull. Note shallow forehead, relatively long bill, pale iris, pink legs, pale gray upperparts with black outer primaries, neatly streaked head and neck, red gonydeal spot.  February 2011.  Pelagic off of Lewes, DE. [Photo by Lukas Musher]

Herring Gulls of mixed ages. Clockwise from left, first cycle, second cycle, first (probably) cycle, adult, adult.  For all, note same structural features as above.  First cycle: note, black bill, pink legs, mostly brown plumage with nearly black primaries (not visible from underwing), indistinct streaks on breast and flanks.  Second cycle: note, dark outer primaries with contrastingly pale inner primaries, nearly black tail, pink-based and black-tipped bill, gray scapulars and mantle.  Adult (nonbreeding): note pale gray upperparts with neatly delineated black wing-tips, extensive streaking on head and neck, neat white tips on primaries. February 2011. Pelagic out of Lewes, DE. [Photo by Lukas Musher]

First cycle Herring Gull.  This individual is rather pale, but note relatively long, black bill, dark eye, indistinct streaking on breast/belly, shallow forehead, and other structural features same as above. March 2006, Platte River, NE. [Photo by Lukas Musher]

Feel free to post questions or comments.

By Luke Musher

Gull Watching: Ring-billed Gull

Adult Ring-billed Gull, Lake Merit, Oakland, CA, November 2011. Note relatively small, yellow, tapered bill with black ring and lacking red gonydeal spot, dark orbital ring, pale iris, finely streaked head and nape.

First cycle Ring-billed Gull, Berkley, CA, February 2006.  Note relatively small, pink, tapered bill (yet stouter than Mew Gull) with black tip, dark iris, pink legs.  This bird is fairly typical, but also note retained juvenal upper wing coverts, distinct streaking on white head, and short to medium wing projection (shorter than California Gull).

Adult Ring-billed Gull (right) with Glaucous-winged Gull (left), Lake Merit, Oakland, CA, November 2011.  Note small size, yellow legs (brighter than adult California), small yellow bill with black band, pale gray mantle, distinct streaks on head and nape, short-medium wing projection.

By Lukas Musher