Gulls in Montana

Today (Saturday) was the first "big" snow of the season. We had about 3 or 4 inches everywhere, to bad it didn't stay long. Now just the always shady spots have snow. With the great snow, I just HAD to go out and see what birds were stirring in the snow. Turns out that the snow was extremely localized and 5 miles from my house had no snow and no where else had snow either.

I went to the Landfill as usual this time of the year, and there was HUNDREDS of gulls present. A good portion of the gulls where down on the water of the rain ponds that hold the toxic water from the seepage of water thru the mound of garbage. Scoping them out, there was mostly Ring-billed Gulls, with a few Californias. Scanning, I found a MEW GULL out in the open!! That wasn't hard at all!! Just sitting there. That was a yearbird for me. Just as I was about to leave, a SECOND Mew Gull walks into view!! 2 birds!! WOO HOO!!!

After getting my fill of those birds, I checked the other sections of the roosting birds on the active dumping area and the roosting area. Here, the numbers of California Gulls have dropped and the number of Herring Gulls has increased. The usual movement of birds this time of year. The first-year GLAUCOUS GULL was still there, and a few first-year THAYER'S GULL as well. I did, however, find two adult THAYER'S GULLS. For some reason, adults are less common then the first-years, or they just slip under the radar most of the time.

Ring-billed Gull in flight

Here is a shot I took of a group of gulls and until I scared a few away, I didn't realize one add ball bird. This is actually one of the last shot I took of the group, it took me a while to notice the other gull in the group, must have been hidden by the 4 or so Ringbilleds that left. Can you pick out the other bird with out scrolling down for the answer?

This can be a quick, easy quiz. Just look at the basic parts of gulls. I think of gulls as mix and match birds with a certain code. They all have wings, tails, legs, eyes, bills, wingtips, and backs. But each species has a different code of those parts. There are light wings and dark wings, light eyes and dark eyes, light backs and dark backs, yellow legs and pink legs. A certain code or order of these variables equals one species, or at least a few similar species, then you need to use other, more detailed marks.

Here is a cropped image, does this help?

Light eyes and one dark eyed bird. There is the first hint. All have black "rings", but one doesn't. There is the next hint. Darker back then the rest. These, and a few other marks cropped off in this image equal MEW GULL. A third bird! That is a good day if you ask me.

Ring-billed Gull profile shot



Leaving the dump cold and hands totally numb, I wondered the usual route through the "west valley". Not much to report, but in the pond off of Church Rd, there are still hundreds of Mallards.

I checked Foy Lake again, and the WHITE-WINGED SCOTER was still present at the north end of the lake. More and more Common and Barrow's Goldeneye keep showing up, there must have been almost 50 - 60 birds all together.

I then headed to Flathead Lake, and scanned Somers Bay in the hope of finding a Pacific Loon, but dipped on that. There was one WESTERN GREBE, one RED-NECKED GREBE and one COMMON LOON.

Dan invited me to his house for a bit in Somers, and we talked birds, and scanned more of the lake to find a raft of coots and REALLY distant gulls. We ended up watching a trio of BALD EAGLES play fight around.

I am taking a short trip to TACOMA, WASHINGTON this coming weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOO HOO!!! This will be amazing!!! I will have birding time, and plan on going to many of the local hotspots, but always would love some more help. If anyone has any advice about shore and seabirds in that area or the "coastal" land birds like Golden-crowned Sparrow, please feel free to email me at birdbrainjwc@yahoo.com

Good Luck Birding

Josh

Gulls 101

Tis' the season of GULLING (to observe and ID gulls)

Late November is the best time to examine your local landfills for odd gulls. Hunting season is coming to an end, and there is a lot of meat scraps from the deer, and other animals at the landfill. Of course, not just any one can have a superb Gullery near them. You need a landfill, and a large body of water, say a reservoir, or a lake, or the ocean.

Now, Gulling isn't for the faint of heart (or nose). Gull ID can be tricky, but once you catch gull fever, it will be all you can think about. You will love to smell the landfill in the cool morning with the high tempereature reaching 20 dergrees.

Lets break down the numerous Gull species to look-a-like groups, and first Ring-billed, California, Mew Gull.

The Ring-billed Gull is the most commen gull in North American. The common parking lot "seagull". Most everyone can ID a Ring-billed, but what about the ones that look like Ringbills.

The Mew Gull is a Pacific Coast bird, but often is seen in the interior states. It is smaller then the Ring-billed in build, and bill size. Just looking at is, you can see the real "petite" face, with the small, usually unmarked bill (juveniles thru second winter have dark markings on bill) Their back coloring slightly darker, and they have marginally longer wings. The winter adults have very heavy mottling on the head, and neck. It's softer looking, and more difuse then the marks on the winter adult Ring-billeds. The dark eye is always good to look for. Most Mew Gulls have a dark eye in every age, and plumage cycle.

Adult Mew Gull with Ring-billed Gulls

The California Gull is a little larger then the ringbilled, and has a heavier look. In adults, they have a darker back that can be seen from a distance. Their bill has the black "ring" as the ringbills have, but also a red spot at the lower end of the "ring". The juvenile birds are darker brown all over, as compaired with Ringbills.

California Gull with Herring Gulls

Next group is the Thayer's/Kumlien's, and Herring Gull group.

The Herring Gull is the common "large" light backed gull. It was pale pink legs and a pale eye. It has black wingtips at all ages. It has a relatively large bill, and "heavy" body.

Variation in Herring Gulls (spot the other species!)

Now, Thayer's Gulls can be tricky because of the Iceland/Kumlien's Gull complex. Overall, Thayer's Gulls are smaller billed, and have a more delicate build. Herring is more big, and powerfull. In winter adults, the Thayer's Gull has heavy mottling on the head and neck. Now some Herring Gulls have this, but with size and shape plus other field marks, can easily be told apart. The Thayer's Gull has a dark eye in all ages. The pink legs tend to be a bit brighter, but not a good ID point. In young birds, the Thayer's has milky, dark brown primaries, as apossed to the jet black primaries of the Herring Gull. In flight, the primaries have a two-toned paneling effect, and the Herring gull has a black patch on the wing, which is the primaries.

Adult Thayer's Gull with Herring Gulls (note dark eye, heavey mottling, smallish bill)

First-cycle Thayer's Gull (note wingtip color, and small bill)

Now with the Kumlien's/Iceland comlpex it gets hard. Some Kumlien's Gulls have dark wingtips, which can look like Thayer's Gulls. Then some Kumlien's Gulls can have really white wingtips, which look like Iceland Gulls. This subspecies complex is not fully understood by experts.

More ID tips nest time....

(all photos are by Dan Casey)

The other species is a first-cycle Gaucous Gull. It is the brownish bird (at left) with a pink bill and black tip.