Comments on: Jordan and the Gulls

By: Bob

Bob — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 04:28:37 +0000

Nicely done on the kinglet. Very nice! Unlike Norwegian Blues, I assume no nails were used.

By: Nate

Nate — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 01:14:31 +0000

@John- You’re right. On the very rare occasion that rare gulls show up in the triangle, they’re almost elusively with Herrings at landfills and such. This flock of Ring-bills that frequents Jordan Lake almost never has anything of note, though the odd rare gull does show up every few years.

By: John

John — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:02:03 +0000

Also – that’s a great shot of the kinglet!

By: John

John — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:01:38 +0000

Even funnier than the AOU’s recalcitrance is that eBird thinks American Herring Gull is a rare bird in my county. I sometimes see flocks of 700 or more. I’m not all that close to the coast, but close enough that Herring Gull is equal in number to or slightly outnumbers Ring-billed Gull.

I’ve noticed in my local patch that gulls tend to segregate. Herring Gulls and Great Black-backed Gulls often sit on a sandbar out in the river while Ring-billed Gulls sit in a dense clump in a parking lot or a baseball field. If there are any rare gulls, they will be with the Herring Gull flock.

By: Nate

Nate — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:42:27 +0000

@Corey- They’re quaking. Quaking!!!

By: Corey

Corey — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:41:32 +0000

Yeah, take that AOU! Pow! Zap!

And, also, nice kinglet.

By: Nate

Nate — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:21:47 +0000

@Jochen- Range, I guess. And the fact that the juvi birds were Americans. But you’re right, there’s absolutely no reason why the AOU should continue to lump the Herring Gulls. But they seem to have a unnatural attachment to old concepts of species that don’t stand up to modern scrutiny. Genetically American and European Herrings are separated by Great Black-backs, for pete’s sake.

@Jason- We still have a handful of Bonies around too, I tried to take some photos but they move much too fast. I agree, I used to think March was a boring month, and I guess it still is if you’re on the lookout for the rush of spring migrants, but the slow build up and release of winter residents is pretty cool too.

By: jason

jason — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:17:22 +0000

Your gull situation sounds like ours: mostly ring-billed gulls with the odd herring, little, black-backed or other thrown in (though Bonaparte’s gulls overwinter here, a nice change from the boisterous ring-billed clan). And I really thought you were describing our seasonal change: it sounds like you have the same kind of sudden switch that we have: one day it’s winter, and the next it’s not.

We’ve been enjoying the purple martins arriving, the hummingbirds making appearances, sandhill cranes flying over, and the excitement in the winter residents who are eager to get on with spring’s business: mating and multiplying (along with migrating for those who need to). I love this time of year with the explosion of life and the dynamic feel of wildlife populations.

That’s a better photo of a golden-crowned kinglet than any I’ve ever taken. I’m jealous! One of these days I’ll capture a good image of those little beauties. Meanwhile, I’ll enjoy–and envy–yours.

By: Jochen

Jochen — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:56:27 +0000

You sure the adult is not a European Herring Gull?

Frankly I was baffled by the decision of the AOU to not split them. I mean the science behind the split is overwhelming. The funny thing is that the adults are near-impossible to identify in the field, yet everyone who has extensive field experience with one species will look at the other one and simply sense that they are by far not the same. It is obvious, but apparently impossible to pin down or describe in words…

And you digiscoped a Kinglet?!

GET OUT !!!