To the Sea
To the Sea, to the Sea! The white gulls are crying, The wind is blowing, and the white foam is flying.
From Return of the King By J.R.R. Tolken
Last Saturday I joined 35 other birders on a Sea Life Pelagic trip out of Lewes, Delaware. Sea Life Pelagics is operated by Paul Guris, a loyal Nikon man and captain Nikon's Birding team, the Lagerhead Shrikes, reigning World Series of Birding champions! Paul's trips are great; highly recommended. They sail mostly from the mid-Atlantic region as well as a few from North Carolina. His late summer trips probably offer the best chance to see White-faced Storm-Petrel in North America, which is, without a doubt, the most awesome bird on the planet!
Unfortunately, White-faced Storm-Petrels were in short supply on this particular trip. What we did have were gulls. We also saw several Dovekie and other winter pelagic species, but all declined to be photographed for this blog post, so we're doing one on gulls.
I'm passionate, some say obsessive, about watching gulls. I enjoy them because they are easy to observe closely and yet I constantly learn new things about them. In eastern North America, American Herring Gull is the dominate large gull in most areas. If you want to master gulls learn American Herring Gull and everything else will fall into place much more easily.
The first two picture below are of an odd American Herring Gull that was coming into chum behind the boat. Before it was seen well, some people on the boat thought that it might be a Thayer's Gull. Given the unusual appearance of this bird it is understandable that such a conclusion would be drawn. We will quickly examine why it looks like Thayer's Gull and what makes it a American Herring Gull.
American Herring Gull off the coast of Maryland. Photo by Cameron Cox with Nikon D200 and a 300mm Nikkor lens.
The reason Thayer's Gull was considered was that it shows far less black on the outer primaries than most Herring Gulls and it was 10-15% smaller than the other Herring Gulls in the area. A photo of a real Thayer's Gull, taken by Greg Gillson, can be seen here for comparison. While there are some similarities, the bird seen from the pelagic trip still shows too much black in the wingtip and the pattern seems a bit odd. Other aspects that do not line up for Thayer's Gull include the bright yellow eye and fairly heavy, all yellow bill. In the photo of the Thayer's Gull note that the eye is a dull honey color and the base of the bill is dull greenish yellow with a slightly brighter tip.
American Herring Gull off the coast of Maryland. Photo by Cameron Cox with Nikon D200 and a 300mm Nikkor lens.
The question is why did the Herring Gull seen on the pelagic show so much less black on the wingtips than normal? As with so many questions that perplex birders, the answer is molt. If you look at the near wing on the first photo you can see the outline of a new feather growing in. Which feather is this? In North America we use a system of numbering primaries that starts with the innermost, P1, and works outward. Since gulls have ten primaries the outermost primary is P10. This is also the direction primary molt takes in most species; the innermost primaries replaced first and the wave of molt works outward. If you read European bird identification literature you will notice that they number primaries in the opposite direct, just to make things fun!
Looking at the photos of our odd Herring Gull again, we can see that the inner primaries, from P1-P8, are fresh and fully grown, P9 is growing, and P10 is old. This particular pattern often causes Herring Gulls to show far less black in the wing because the black markings on P9 are not visible. Here in the mid-Atlantic region most adult Herring Gulls show this pattern in late October or early November and have finish primary molt by this time of year. The bird seen on the Lewes pelagic was molting quite late and, consequently, stood out among the other Herring Gulls. Being aware that Herring Gulls frequently show less black in the wing during the late fall due to molt can keep you from mistaking one of these birds for a Thayer's Gull.
Kumlien's Gull off the coast of Maryland. Photo by Cameron Cox with Nikon D200 and a 300mm Nikkor lens
My personal highlight of the trip was this Iceland Gull that fed behind the boat for over ten minutes. This Iceland Gull is from the Canadian high-arctic breeding population often referred to as Kumlien's Gull. Kumlien's Gull shows variable amounts of dark pigment in the outer primaries, unlike nominate Iceland Gull which breeds in Greenland and has pure white flight feathers. Kumlien's Gull is officially regarded as a subspecies of Iceland Gull, but that status is in question. Some authorities consider Kumlien's Gull a self-sustaining hybrid population between Iceland Gull and Thayer's Gull. Other consider it a full species, separate from both Iceland Gull and Thayer's Gull. Frankly, I don't care that much, Kumlien's Gulls are incredibly gorgeous no matter what they are classified as. If you are interested in more information on Kumlien's Gull identification and taxonomy then Gulls of the Americas by Steve Howell is a good place to start.
Kumlien's Gull off the coast of Maryland. Photo by Cameron Cox with Nikon D200 and a 300mm Nikkor lens.
Notice how different the bird look in this photo compare to the other two. This one was taken while a cloud obscured the sun. The dark marking on the bird are much more visible and the bill appears darker. Next time you are birding on a partly cloudy day when conditions are shifting between full sunlight and heavy cloud cover, note how this affects how you perceive birds. Light conditions have a huge impact on which aspects of a bird's appearance are most notable and even have a strong impact on our impression of size. It is useful to be aware just how drastically shifting light conditions can change your ability to judge a birds appearance.
Kumlien's Gull off the coast of Maryland. Photo by Cameron Cox with Nikon D200 and a 300mm Nikkor lens.
In the photo above, the bird is plunge feeding off the back of the boat. It is such a treat for birders in the mid-Atlantic region to see this stunning bird. Most Kumlien's Gulls winter along the coast of Newfoundland and only a trickle make it down to us. They are more common, though still in relatively small numbers, in New England and the eastern and central Great Lakes. The past two winters the Gloucester Harbor along the north Massachusetts coast has been graced with an incredible Kumlien's Gull show, with some counts in the low triple digits. Check it out if you are in the area.
Happy Holidays and good gulling to all!
From Return of the King By J.R.R. Tolken
Last Saturday I joined 35 other birders on a Sea Life Pelagic trip out of Lewes, Delaware. Sea Life Pelagics is operated by Paul Guris, a loyal Nikon man and captain Nikon's Birding team, the Lagerhead Shrikes, reigning World Series of Birding champions! Paul's trips are great; highly recommended. They sail mostly from the mid-Atlantic region as well as a few from North Carolina. His late summer trips probably offer the best chance to see White-faced Storm-Petrel in North America, which is, without a doubt, the most awesome bird on the planet!
Unfortunately, White-faced Storm-Petrels were in short supply on this particular trip. What we did have were gulls. We also saw several Dovekie and other winter pelagic species, but all declined to be photographed for this blog post, so we're doing one on gulls.
I'm passionate, some say obsessive, about watching gulls. I enjoy them because they are easy to observe closely and yet I constantly learn new things about them. In eastern North America, American Herring Gull is the dominate large gull in most areas. If you want to master gulls learn American Herring Gull and everything else will fall into place much more easily.
The first two picture below are of an odd American Herring Gull that was coming into chum behind the boat. Before it was seen well, some people on the boat thought that it might be a Thayer's Gull. Given the unusual appearance of this bird it is understandable that such a conclusion would be drawn. We will quickly examine why it looks like Thayer's Gull and what makes it a American Herring Gull.
American Herring Gull off the coast of Maryland. Photo by Cameron Cox with Nikon D200 and a 300mm Nikkor lens.The reason Thayer's Gull was considered was that it shows far less black on the outer primaries than most Herring Gulls and it was 10-15% smaller than the other Herring Gulls in the area. A photo of a real Thayer's Gull, taken by Greg Gillson, can be seen here for comparison. While there are some similarities, the bird seen from the pelagic trip still shows too much black in the wingtip and the pattern seems a bit odd. Other aspects that do not line up for Thayer's Gull include the bright yellow eye and fairly heavy, all yellow bill. In the photo of the Thayer's Gull note that the eye is a dull honey color and the base of the bill is dull greenish yellow with a slightly brighter tip.
American Herring Gull off the coast of Maryland. Photo by Cameron Cox with Nikon D200 and a 300mm Nikkor lens.The question is why did the Herring Gull seen on the pelagic show so much less black on the wingtips than normal? As with so many questions that perplex birders, the answer is molt. If you look at the near wing on the first photo you can see the outline of a new feather growing in. Which feather is this? In North America we use a system of numbering primaries that starts with the innermost, P1, and works outward. Since gulls have ten primaries the outermost primary is P10. This is also the direction primary molt takes in most species; the innermost primaries replaced first and the wave of molt works outward. If you read European bird identification literature you will notice that they number primaries in the opposite direct, just to make things fun!
Looking at the photos of our odd Herring Gull again, we can see that the inner primaries, from P1-P8, are fresh and fully grown, P9 is growing, and P10 is old. This particular pattern often causes Herring Gulls to show far less black in the wing because the black markings on P9 are not visible. Here in the mid-Atlantic region most adult Herring Gulls show this pattern in late October or early November and have finish primary molt by this time of year. The bird seen on the Lewes pelagic was molting quite late and, consequently, stood out among the other Herring Gulls. Being aware that Herring Gulls frequently show less black in the wing during the late fall due to molt can keep you from mistaking one of these birds for a Thayer's Gull.
Kumlien's Gull off the coast of Maryland. Photo by Cameron Cox with Nikon D200 and a 300mm Nikkor lensMy personal highlight of the trip was this Iceland Gull that fed behind the boat for over ten minutes. This Iceland Gull is from the Canadian high-arctic breeding population often referred to as Kumlien's Gull. Kumlien's Gull shows variable amounts of dark pigment in the outer primaries, unlike nominate Iceland Gull which breeds in Greenland and has pure white flight feathers. Kumlien's Gull is officially regarded as a subspecies of Iceland Gull, but that status is in question. Some authorities consider Kumlien's Gull a self-sustaining hybrid population between Iceland Gull and Thayer's Gull. Other consider it a full species, separate from both Iceland Gull and Thayer's Gull. Frankly, I don't care that much, Kumlien's Gulls are incredibly gorgeous no matter what they are classified as. If you are interested in more information on Kumlien's Gull identification and taxonomy then Gulls of the Americas by Steve Howell is a good place to start.
Kumlien's Gull off the coast of Maryland. Photo by Cameron Cox with Nikon D200 and a 300mm Nikkor lens.Notice how different the bird look in this photo compare to the other two. This one was taken while a cloud obscured the sun. The dark marking on the bird are much more visible and the bill appears darker. Next time you are birding on a partly cloudy day when conditions are shifting between full sunlight and heavy cloud cover, note how this affects how you perceive birds. Light conditions have a huge impact on which aspects of a bird's appearance are most notable and even have a strong impact on our impression of size. It is useful to be aware just how drastically shifting light conditions can change your ability to judge a birds appearance.
Kumlien's Gull off the coast of Maryland. Photo by Cameron Cox with Nikon D200 and a 300mm Nikkor lens.In the photo above, the bird is plunge feeding off the back of the boat. It is such a treat for birders in the mid-Atlantic region to see this stunning bird. Most Kumlien's Gulls winter along the coast of Newfoundland and only a trickle make it down to us. They are more common, though still in relatively small numbers, in New England and the eastern and central Great Lakes. The past two winters the Gloucester Harbor along the north Massachusetts coast has been graced with an incredible Kumlien's Gull show, with some counts in the low triple digits. Check it out if you are in the area.
Happy Holidays and good gulling to all!
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