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Westport's easy Gulls

Edward James Raynor

Wed, Mar 7, 2007 12:00 AM

Hello,
I have added photos of the Compo Beach Iceland and Burying Hill Beach
Lesser Black-backed to my website: www.pbase.com/ether9 check the gull
section.

Both wintering gulls were present yesterday afternoon. I would really
like to know where the adult Lesser Black-backed Gull spends the
summer. I wouldn't be surprised if the Norwalk Islands are its summer
home. Perhaps it spends the summer with an common lighter-mantled
larid in Long Island Sound. Just food for thought.

E.J. Raynor

Hello, I have added photos of the Compo Beach Iceland and Burying Hill Beach Lesser Black-backed to my website: www.pbase.com/ether9 check the gull section. Both wintering gulls were present yesterday afternoon. I would really like to know where the adult Lesser Black-backed Gull spends the summer. I wouldn't be surprised if the Norwalk Islands are its summer home. Perhaps it spends the summer with an common lighter-mantled larid in Long Island Sound. Just food for thought. E.J. Raynor

COMINS, Patrick

Wed, Mar 7, 2007 2:10 AM

Hi E.J. All:

Far more information than you probably wanted:

I suspect that our Lesser Black-backed Gulls come mostly from Iceland and Europe. There have been a few reports and a strong suspicion of breeding in the Atlantic Maritimes, but I don't think that has yet been confirmed. (if anyone has updated info, please chime in) They are probably nesting up there somewhere, but certainly aren't numerous enough to account for all of the Lesser Black-backed Gulls that show up in eastern North America. Nesting in the Maritimes could also help explain the increased reports of apparent Lesser Black-backed X Herring Gull in our area, as I understand that hybrid combination is pretty rare in Europe and it would make sense for it to occur where one species is greatly outnumbered by the other.

They are pretty abundant and increasing in northwestern Europe and are long distance migrants, so it isn't too out of the question to expect them to regularly make trans-Atlantic migrations. We also get at least some of them from further away than Iceland. Most birds we see are the light-mantled graellsii, which are the dominant (only breeding?) form in Iceland, but occasional birds in Connecticut are smaller, with darker mantles and tend to have more intense yellow on the bare parts (relative to season/plumage). These darker mantled birds probably represent birds from continental Europe ('Dutch intergrade' or intermedius subspecies).

While I have seen Lesser Black-backed Gull in every month of the year in CT, all birds in nesting season have been sub-adult. Any report of an adult Lesser Black-backed in our area in summer would be big news. I always keep my eyes out for one when I visit a gull colony, but I suspect the chances of one nesting here are pretty slim. This isn't exactly gull heaven for breeding habitat and Herring Gulls are declining quite dramatically as a nester in the NE US. Great Black-backs seem to be holding their own.

The technology is out there that could answer for sure the question of where they come from, but the logistics of applying it would be pretty tricky.

Patrick Comins

Meriden

-----Original Message----- 
From: ctbirds-bounces@lists.ctbirding.org on behalf of Edward James Raynor 
Sent: Tue 3/6/2007 7:00 PM 
To: ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org 
Cc: 
Subject: [CT Birds] Westport's easy Gulls

Hello,
I have added photos of the Compo Beach Iceland and Burying Hill Beach 
Lesser Black-backed to my website: www.pbase.com/ether9 check the gull 
section.

Both wintering gulls were present yesterday afternoon. I would really 
like to know where the adult Lesser Black-backed Gull spends the 
summer. I wouldn't be surprised if the Norwalk Islands are its summer 
home. Perhaps it spends the summer with an common lighter-mantled 
larid in Long Island Sound. Just food for thought.

E.J. Raynor

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This list is provided by the Connecticut Ornithological Association (COA) for the discussion of birds and birding in Connecticut. 
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Hi E.J. All: Far more information than you probably wanted: I suspect that our Lesser Black-backed Gulls come mostly from Iceland and Europe. There have been a few reports and a strong suspicion of breeding in the Atlantic Maritimes, but I don't think that has yet been confirmed. (if anyone has updated info, please chime in) They are probably nesting up there somewhere, but certainly aren't numerous enough to account for all of the Lesser Black-backed Gulls that show up in eastern North America. Nesting in the Maritimes could also help explain the increased reports of apparent Lesser Black-backed X Herring Gull in our area, as I understand that hybrid combination is pretty rare in Europe and it would make sense for it to occur where one species is greatly outnumbered by the other. They are pretty abundant and increasing in northwestern Europe and are long distance migrants, so it isn't too out of the question to expect them to regularly make trans-Atlantic migrations. We also get at least some of them from further away than Iceland. Most birds we see are the light-mantled graellsii, which are the dominant (only breeding?) form in Iceland, but occasional birds in Connecticut are smaller, with darker mantles and tend to have more intense yellow on the bare parts (relative to season/plumage). These darker mantled birds probably represent birds from continental Europe ('Dutch intergrade' or intermedius subspecies). While I have seen Lesser Black-backed Gull in every month of the year in CT, all birds in nesting season have been sub-adult. Any report of an adult Lesser Black-backed in our area in summer would be big news. I always keep my eyes out for one when I visit a gull colony, but I suspect the chances of one nesting here are pretty slim. This isn't exactly gull heaven for breeding habitat and Herring Gulls are declining quite dramatically as a nester in the NE US. Great Black-backs seem to be holding their own. The technology is out there that could answer for sure the question of where they come from, but the logistics of applying it would be pretty tricky. Patrick Comins Meriden -----Original Message----- From: ctbirds-bounces@lists.ctbirding.org on behalf of Edward James Raynor Sent: Tue 3/6/2007 7:00 PM To: ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org Cc: Subject: [CT Birds] Westport's easy Gulls Hello, I have added photos of the Compo Beach Iceland and Burying Hill Beach Lesser Black-backed to my website: www.pbase.com/ether9 check the gull section. Both wintering gulls were present yesterday afternoon. I would really like to know where the adult Lesser Black-backed Gull spends the summer. I wouldn't be surprised if the Norwalk Islands are its summer home. Perhaps it spends the summer with an common lighter-mantled larid in Long Island Sound. Just food for thought. E.J. Raynor _______________________________________________ This list is provided by the Connecticut Ornithological Association (COA) for the discussion of birds and birding in Connecticut. For subscription information visit http://lists.ctbirding.org/mailman/listinfo/ctbirds_lists.ctbirding.org