Herring Run! Slaty-backed, Thayer's, Hybrids and More

Immediately after returning from Mexico, I quickly found out that I did not have the typical birding hangover I usually endure after such prolonged, lifer-filled birding. A herring run was raging at Point Richmond, where it does every winter, so following a report of THE Slaty-backed Gull, Don Francisco headed out into the rain to wage mental war with thousands of feeding gulls...ersatz birding this was not. One of the first birds of note that we picked out was this first cycle Glaucous X Glaucous-winged Gull, an uncommon hybrid combo in the bay area.

This bird was quite typical looking; first cycle GLGU X GWGU hybrids in my experience show surprisingly little variation. They are big and bulky birds, generally shaped like GWGU, but with obvious pink on the bill (blending into the black tip) and plumage that recalls a dingy GLGU.

Thayer's Gulls have not appeared in many BB&B posts so far this year. This changes everything. This is a pale-eyed individual, not unusual to find around these parts. Note the very large white apical spots, one of the things that helps differentiates this from a wee Herring Gull.

For your edification, here is a first cycle Thayer's with a lot of white on the back.

This is a darker first cycle Thayer's, still quite "fresh" looking; many Thayer's look considerably paler and worn by this time (late January).

And here is a second-cycle Thayer's showing a classic wing pattern.

Don Francisco had never experienced such an intense gull scene. He was in awe.

As everyone knows, Don Francisco has excellent luck, so I figured it was just a matter of time before the Slaty-backed Gull made an appearance. Sure enough, we were lucky to see the bird for a few minutes after waiting around for a couple hours. This bird has been coming to bay area herring runs for many years, and I was happy to get reacquainted.

The white wing covert and "clean" head makes this bird easy to identify as the same returning individual. Whenever I'm birding a herring run, I'm always looking for this particular bird (among others, obvi).

With such a bounty of food available, much more than just gulls show up to partake in the feast. Pelagic Cormorants always attend in small numbers.

Big flocks of diving ducks feast as well.

Herring runs provide some of the best gulling in the western U.S., and is a major perk to winter birding in the bay area. Hopefully a Black-tailed Gull will show up one of these days!

Another Ferry Point Herring Run, Another Slaty-backed Gull

This afternoon I was fortunate (hella fortunate) to find what appears to be another Slaty-backed Gull at Ferry Point in Richmond, which then moved over to the big pond at Miller-Knox Regional Shoreline. Amazingly (awesomely) this is not the same Slaty-backed I had seen at Miller-Knox the previous day, and I was lucky to have a lot of highly-skilled larophiles present to help give the bird a going-over.

In bright sunlight, the bird seemed unusually pale-backed for a Slaty-backed (it looked more typical in overcast light), which I won't pretend to be able to explain was odd but seemingly within the range of variability for the species (see links below). Everything else looked very nice though...present (but difficult to see here) are its brightly-colored legs and blood-red orbital ring.

For more on variability of mantle color in Slaty-backed Gull, check out this comprehensive post and the Ujiharas' extensive gallery of Japanese Slaty-backs right here.

This individual has many more markings on the head and neck than the other Slaty-backed that has been appearing at bay area herring runs.

Nice wide, white trailing edge of the wing. It's molting some of its inner secondaries. See the top and bottom photos of this post for the best views of the primary pattern.

Of course, a nice string of pearls as well. Cool bird! If you have experience with SBGU and agree or disagree with the ID, we would love to hear from you.

HBP Presents: "I Would Be A Human Landfill": The Sad Confessions of the Off-Season Guller

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Some Recent Birds: Majestic, Mighty, Nemesis, Oiled, Typical, Snazzy, Grotesque, Crippling.

Not much new to report here at BB&B. Post-Costa Rica birding has been good, but has gotten a bit slow lately...even year birds are getting difficult. I do have my first job interview of the year next week, and so The Perpetual Weekend is now in jeopardy.

Here is a Black Turnstone that happened to land in front of me. They are common along the west coast, but this would be a definite MEGA in any of the other states...just a matter of time, I reckon. Photographed at Pillar Point Harbor, CA.

Behold its breathtaking wingspan.

Majestic, as always.

The Mighty Dunlin: Often seen, but rarely photographed....by me anyways. Coyote Point County Park, San Mateo, CA.

It's still gull season here on the California coast. Despite my efforts I have seen absolutely nothing interesting beyond a handful of freaks and unusual hybrids since locking on to my state nemesis Slaty-backed Gull (above, middlish) in Sausalito several weeks ago, where this was photographed. Other birds in this photo are Glaucous-winged X Western Gulls (aka "Olympic" Gulls), and a pure Western Gull (bottom left). Oh, if you disagree with any of my gull ID's, please provide cruel negative feedback.

The oiled bird is an adult Herring Gull; the bird in front is a pale-eyed Thayer's Gull. Herring and pale-eyed Thayer's can certainly be confused for one another...I think this photo shows the contrast in bill and head shape between the two pretty well. Pilarcitos Creek, Half Moon Bay, CA.

A pretty typical first cycle Glaucous-winged Gull with a bit more pink in the bill than normal, but that is not unusual in late winter. Sausalito, CA.

I don't think Eurasian Wigeon has graced BB&B many times, although I am lucky enough to see them pretty regularly. The drakes (left) are really snazzy looking ducks, and the hens (not pictured) provide a good ID challenge. Pier 94, San Francisco, CA.

Here is a grotesque Greater Scaup. I don't know how a duck goes about having a huge chunk of it's bill removed...that's gotta hurt. Lake Merritt, Oakland, CA.

Here is a non-grotesque Greater Scaup for comparison. Lake Merritt.

Harlequin Duck is in that small realm of birds that defy explanation, both in plumage and lifestyle. Someday I hope to have some photographs that do them justice, but at the moment all I have is stuff like this. This crippler is hanging out at Pier 94 with a female Surf Scoter.

Slaty-backed Gull @ Sausalito

I finally got over my Costa Rica birding hangover today and went out, which turned out to be a good idea, because it resulted in my first California Slaty-backed Gull...a state nemesis bird, now defeated. It was in the gull swarm at Sausalito, which has congregated to feast on herring eggs.

Here is a typical Western Gull for comparison. Note the clean head, yellow-orange bill and dark, beady eye.

No, the Slaty-back is not in the act of hybridizing in this photo.

The most reliable way to identify Slaty-backed is by call.

Ok thats not true. It's all about the string of pearls! Stoked.

When I Knew To Stop Looking

In an instant this first-year Herring Gull has transformed from a disgusting garbage-eater to a mind-boggling contortionist. Note that the preen gland on it's upper tail is exposed. Lake Merced, San Francisco, CA.

Good Thursday to you nerds. The only loose theme running through all these pictures today are birds doing some interesting poses...I purposefully avoided posting anything too graceful (well, except for the terns) as it would just be too easy to slap a bunch of herons and egrets in here and call it a day. Oh yeah, no flight shots either, them's the rules.

The crystal ball that is seasonal bird work is beginning to clear...my destiny grows easier to see by the day...an official migration announcement should happen soon!

A Bobolink takes a break from being Lord Of The Prairie and stretches out. Do you see how sharp it's tail feathers are? They have rapidly evolved in the past few decades to stab bird banders...interestingly, their distress calls given while in the hand sound uncannily like "I'm giving you tons of bird lice right now" and "I'll see you in Hell". Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge, North Dakota.

Since they are so big-bodied, Canvasbacks often appear somewhat stubby-winged. This female is trying to buck the trend...I think she pulls it off. Lake Merritt, Oakland, CA.

Of course, courtship and territorial displays frequently entail some bizarre posturing. These male Great-tailed Grackles are both telling each other "Why don't you come at me bro?". Chavarrillo, Veracruz, MEX.

While appearing superficially gull-like on land (and somewhat confused to be on land in the first place), albatross become entirely different beasts when it comes to dancing. These Black-footed Albatross were seducing each other with their sick moves at Midway Atoll.

White Terns look good, there is no denying it. But when it comes down to making babies, they make it look more like a miracle. I can't tell you how many tears I shed watching this...eventually I ran out of water and cried blood. That's when I knew to stop looking. Midway Atoll.

Going from no-necked to fully extended, a Thick-billed Murre takes a gander at something on the cliff below. In a moment it will return from its moment of quasi-elegance to being fat, squat and cute. Buldir Island, AK.

Other birds aren't blessed with such long necks. This is about as far as a Clay-colored Sparrow can stick it's head out. It still a good-looking bird though (obvi). Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge, ND.

A Double-crested Cormorant throws it's wings out for air brakes and balance as it makes a brilliant landing. Lake Merced, CA.

While many sandpipers are comfortable being cloaca-deep in putrid mud, this Semipalmated Sandpiper is apparently a bit too dainty to get it's feathers dirty. It's wings are out for balance, to keep from sinking in too deep. White Lake, ND.

I know what you are thinking..."Whoa. I am really drawn to this image...it's affecting the shit out of me. It is a thing of beauty. I've never seen anything like it." Yeah, you guessed it, this is absolutely ART. That's why you are feeling so many emotions right now. You may also be feeling some jealousy, since this is actually a Slaty-backed Gull. Buldir Island, AK.

Some birds just aren't cut out for being graceful. This soggy Black-crowned Night-Heron was photographed at Lake Merritt.