This morning I birdwatched at Canal Park for about 2 hours, and got to witness a very impressive assortment of gulls, of various ages and species.
Here are this morning's sightings: Mallard 3 Ring-billed Gull 150 Herring Gull 150 Thayer's Gull 1 Iceland Gull 1 Great Black-backed Gull 1 *ICELAND GULL from this morning was a 1st/2nd cycle bird, THAYER'S GULL was an adult, GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL was a juvenile, and the oddball, possible EUROPEAN HERRING GULL was a 1st-cycle. My newest gull gallery (for this winter) is arranged by date taken, so if you do decide to scroll through photo-by-photo, you'll see the birds in the order which they were observed. I hope you enjoy them :) * Any help/critique you can provide with my gull ID on these photos is appreciated. Thanks for any help you can provide. Herring Gull from this morning (possible European race): http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/130443653 http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/130443656 http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/130443658 http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/130443662 http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/130443665 (stretching) http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/130443668 (fluffing) http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/130443670 (fluffing, note pale rump with dispersed streaks on outer portion of uppertail coverts) http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/130443676 (this last photo is of the same bird I believe) http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/130443672 (possibly same bird, in flight) This bird initially caught my eye due to the overall paleness of the body and head. The scapulars/upper-backside of this bird is streaked in gray and white, and the feathers have a finely speckled appearance as a whole. This is a feature (from what I've read) that European-race Herring Gulls typically show, although they can be darker overall too. A pale patch of white uppertail coverts is another trait to look for with European Herring Gulls, whereas young Juvenile and 1st-cycle American Herring Gulls show heavy barring across the uppertail coverts. From looking in the gull books, it seems as if European Gulls have an overall frosty, burnt-tan coloration at most, coloration throughout their body, with lots of pale detailing. The young Herring Gulls we see around here have a deep brown coloration throughout much of their body, and have a dark initial "feel" from a distance. Thayer's Gull, American Herring Gull, or Vega Gull? http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/130434327 http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/130434325 http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/130434328 http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/130434326 <goog_1997271397> Nelson's Gull? http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/130434279 http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/130434277 Another weird possible Nelson's Gull bird? http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/130434273 http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/130434274 Herring Gulls and Ring-billed Gulls, with a possible juvenile California Gull? (didn't realize this until this afternoon) http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/130434316 Iceland Gull: http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/130434265 http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/130443647 http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/130443645 Thayer's Gull (possibly): http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/130434337 Great Black-backed Gull: http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/130443635 Herring Gull: http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/130434288 Ring-billed Gull: http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/130434271 http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/130434289 http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/130434335 Ring-billed Gull with crossed Bill: http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/130434290 Thanks and good birding, Erik Bruhnke Duluth, MN NATURALLY AVIAN - Bird photography and guided bird hikes www.pbase.com/birdfedr [email protected] ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
