California Gulls Return

There are large numbers of California Gulls passing NW over Moorecroft right now. Probably due to the unsettled weather, they are passing quite low over the park and they are vocalizing continually, which is typical when these birds migrate at lower elevations in the dark. It will be interesting to see if this movement continues after sunrise.

Some years, we see massive numbers of California Gulls moving into the Salish Sea at this time of year, searching for the herring spawns which help fatten the birds for their long migration to the prairies.

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