Thayer's Gull

Just cleaning out the gull files here, and thought I would post a few photos of adult Thayer'sGulls. All photos taken on the central east coast of Vancouver Island, between October and April.

Ring-billed Gull

Although it's a common summer bird in much of the rest of the rest of southern Canada, Ring-billed Gulls are uncommon to rare in most areas of coastal British Columbia. Although they are fairly common now in Vancouver and surrounding areas of the lower mainland, this is a relatively recent development, and as little as 50 years ago, they only occurred as a migrant. On Vancouver Island, they are now seen at all times of the year, although they are much harder to find outside of the Spring and Fall migration periods. In the Parksville-Qualicum Checklist Area, they are most difficult to find in Winter, and unless one knows the location of a bird that has been frequenting a certain area over a long period of time, such as the adult that has overwintered at Parksville Bay for years now, one has little chance of finding one.

So, it was a bit of a surprise today when a lovely adult Ring-billed Gull joined the large flock of Mew and Thayer's Gulls chasing bait fish just off Jinglepot Bay, in Moorecroft Regional Park. I have been doing regular surveys here since mid October, and this is the first time I have noted this species at this site.

Other interesting species in the park today included;

Ancient Murrelet: 19

Marbled Murrelet: 28

Herring Gull: 3 (also uncommon in this area)

Anna's Hummingbird: 3

Red-breasted Sapsucker: 1 (hard to find in winter)

Townsend's Warbler: 1

Glaucous-winged Gull X Western Gull Hybrid

This hybrid combination is all too common most of the year here on the shores of the Salish Sea. We see fewer of them during the breeding season, but they rest of the year, they outnumber "pure" Glaucous-winged Gulls in many locations. The individual above is a fairly typical example of birds that appear to be more Glaucous-winged than Western, and may well represent second generation hybrids. This bird shows a mantle shade only slightly darker than the typical Glaucous-winged Gull, but the primaries are darker yet. The bill does suggest Western Gull, being fairly heavy and showing a pronounced gonys.

Glaucous Gull X Glaucous-winged Gull Hybrid

Donna and I first came across this bird in the Parksville Community Park on 17 January 2011. We are still seeing it several times a week around Parksville. It scrounges in parking lots, parks, and residential neighborhoods, looking for hand outs and other discarded human waste. In this sense, it certainly takes after it's Glaucous-winged Gull ancestors.

Some short video clips of the bird can be seen here;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjoIHl35lCM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAKzZPFL1uY