Ed & I will lead a gull id trip, hopefully some aging too, on Feb. 18,
8:00am to 4:00 pm. We will visit coulon park, gog le hi te, and the
log booms of Tacoma, maybe elsewhere if time permits. Meet at:
Key bank at hwy 99 and & 54th st, Fife, exit 137. kennethwbrown@
hotmail.com for sign-up and questions. We hope for 7 species at
least, Kaufman’s advanced birding pgs. 242-271 for background info.
Leave a comment to sign up for the trip.
Ken
PS.: Anyone wanting to bone up on the gulls here is a link to an excel spreadsheet that I believe Ryan put together and below is the best I can do at putting it on this page:
| Name | Eye | Wing | Mantle | Bill | Legs | Lgth | Wgt | Notes |
| Arctic and Pelagic Gulls | ||||||||
| Ross’s Gull | Black | Pale gray unmarked | 3.5-4.5 | Black, small | Red | 13″-14″ | 180g | Long, thin wings, arched and pushed forward. Head peaked, wedge shaped tail. |
| Sabine’s Gull* | Black | Dark w/white tips | 7.0-9.0 | Black w/yellow tip | Dark | 12″-14″ | 180g | Smaller than Kittiwake. Size like Bonepartes. Striking wing pattern and graceful ternlike flight distinctive. |
| Black-legged Kittiwake* | Black | Black tips cut straight across | 7.0-8.0 | Yellow | Black | 16″-18″ | 400g | Large headed, long winged. Flight buoyant and dashing w/stiff wingbeats. |
| Red-legged Kittiwake | Black | Black tips, cut straight across | 8.5-9.5 | Yellow | Red | 16″-17″ | 380g | Smaller than Black-legged, wings longer and thinner, short red legs. |
| Ivory Gull | Black | Pure white | 0 | Greenish w/orange tip, stubby | Black | 17″-19″ | 630g | Only pure white gull. Black legs and eyes with orange tipped bill distinctive. |
| Small Hooded Gulls | ||||||||
| Little Gull | Black | Pale, short | 4.5-5.5. | Black, stubby | red | 10″-12″ | 120g | Smallest gull, wing pattern unique |
| Bonaparte’s Gull* | Black | Black tips, Long white triangle tipped black | 5.0-6.0 | Black, slender, straight, pointed | Red | 12″-14″ | 190g | Bonepartes rarely mixes with other gulls. Differs from Black-headed by size, bill color and wing pattern. |
| Black-headed Gull | Black | Black | 4.0-5.0 | Red | Red | 14″-17″ | 270g | Larger, longer, heavier-billed, broader-winged than Bonapartes. |
| Medium Hooded Gulls | ||||||||
| Franklin’s Gull* | Black | Black w/large white tips, Irregular black bar crossing white ground | 8.0-9.0 | Red | Dark red brown | 13″-15″ | 280g | Smaller, more delicate than Laughing. Bill shorter, wings shorter and less pointed, underwing clean white with limited black tips. |
| Laughing Gull | Black | Black w/small white tips | 8.0-9.0 | Red, relatively long, drooped at tip | Dark red/dusky | 15″-17″ | 320g | Looks slender, long bill, longer wings than other gulls, flight graceful, swept back and pointed. |
| White-headed Gulls | ||||||||
| Mew Gull* | Dusky | Black w/white tips and mirrors | 6.0-7.5 | Greenish yellow, short, unmarked, thin bill | Yellowish | 16″-19″ | 420g | Smaller, more slender than Ring-billed, shorter, thinner bill, rounder head, eyes appear large, wings narrow and less pointy. Darker mantle than Ring-billed. |
| Ring-billed Gull* | Pale | Black w/small white tips | 4.0-5.0 | Yellow, short, straight with broad black ring | Yellowish | 17″-21″ | 520g | Smaller than Herring and Cal w/ shorter bill, thinner, more pointed wings. Pale mantle. |
| Heermann’s Gull* | Dark | Nearly all dark | 10.0-11.5 | Red | Black | 18″-20″ | 500g | Distinctively dark and unpatterened. |
| Black-tailed Gull | Pale | Black, small white tips | 8.0-9.5 | Yellow, long slender, black/red tip | Yellowish | 17″-20″ | 530g | Black tail band |
| California Gull* | Dark | Black w/white tips and mirrors | 6.0-7.5 | Yellow with red and black marks | Greenish yellow | 18″-23″ | 610g | Smaller than herring w/ round head, long bill and long wings. Larger than Ring-billed, longer bill, narrower wings. |
| Lesser Black-backed Gull | Pale | Dark w/small white tips | 9.0-11.0 | Yellow w/red or red and black mark | Greenish yellow | 20″-24″ | 800g | Sleek and slender, w/long narrow wings, head small and rounded, bill short and thin. |
| Iceland Gull | Pale – dusky | Dark-pale with lots of white | 3.0-4.0 | Yellow-green bill | Deep pink | 19″-25″ | 820g | Relatively small w/ round head and short bill creates gentle expression. Round body, short legs, stocky. |
| Thayer’s Gull* | Dark (10% pale) | Black w/ white tips and mirrors | 5.6-0-6.0 | Small, yellow/green bill w/red mark | Deep pink | 20″-25″ | 1000g | Structure like Icelandic |
| Kelp Gull | Pale | Very dark, small white tips | 12.5-14.0 | Yellow bill, red spot | Greenish yellow | 21″-25″ | 1035g | Darkest mantled gull, stocky, shorter and broader winged than Lesser BB Gull |
| Western Gull* | Dark – pale | Dark w/ small white tips | 8.0-9.5 | Yellow w/red mark on lower mandible, bulbous | Flesh colored | 21″-26″ | 1000g | Stocky and heavy, droopy billed, Peak on head above eyes w/sloping rear crown. Broad wings w/white skirt along tertials. Usuall found @ coast |
| Yellow-legged Gull | Pale | Dark, white tips | 7.0-8.5 | Brignt yellow | Yellow | 21″-26″ | 1125g | Very similar to Herring, differes in mantle color, wingtip pattern, bare-parts color and voice. |
| Herring Gull* | Pale | Black w/ white tips and mirrors | 4.0-5.0 | Yellow with red mark | Flesh colored | 22″-26″ | 1150g | Slender, long billed, peak on rear crown, long, narrow wings. Pale mantle. |
| Slaty-backed Gull | Pale – dusky | Black w/small white tips | 9.5-11.5 | Yellow w/red mark on lower madible | Deep pink | 22″-26″ | 1350g | Large and bulky like Western but thinner billed. Dark color on bill. |
| Olympic Gull (GLWGxWSTN)* | Pale | Dark Gray-Black w/mirrors | 6.0-8.0 | Yellow w/red mark on lower mandible, bulbous | Flesh colored | 22″-26″ | 1000g | Like GLWG but with dark wingtips or like Western but with streaks on head and nape. One of the most common gulls of Puget Sound. |
| Glaucous-winged Gull* | Dusky | Gray w/white tips. | 5.0-6.0 | Yellow w/ red mark on lower mandible | Flesh colored | 21″-29″ | 1000g | Structure like Western but varies. Unpatterned and low contrast plumage distinctive. |
| Yellow-footed Gull | Pale | Black w/white tips | 9.0-10.5 | Yellow, heavy bill w/red mark | Bright yellow | 22″-27″ | 1260g | Similar to Western but heavier billed w/strong gonydeal angle, longer neck, blockier head. |
| Glaucous Gull* | Pale | White, unmarked | 3.0-4.0 | Yellowish w/red mark on lower madible | Flesh colored | 26″-32″ | 1400g | Large and powerfull w/ long straight bill, flat crown and slight bulge on forehead. Larger, longer-billed, flatter-headed than Iceland. Short primary projection. |
| Great Black-backed Gull | Dusky – Pale | Dark w/white tips | 13.0-15.0 | Yellow w/red mark | Pale pink | 25″-31″ | 1650g | Largest gull but can overlap w/Glaucous, Herring and others. Long and broad winged w/lumbering flight. Massive bill and head. |
| *Denotes species that regularly occur in WA. |
Sign me up!