One of our summer outings this year was to stay in an RV site right on the beach in Annacortes, WA.  We delighted in watching the gulls have breakfast on the beach just after the tide went out.

It brought home my lack of knowledge about why there are so many different markings.  Does each one have a different classification?  It was clearly time to do some research!

Western Gull photo by Jeff Poklen Copyright 2005

The most important basic keys to identifying gulls are size, shape, and color pattern.  The species you see will depend on where you are, of course, but sorting them by size and location first will leave only one or two common species.

Glaucous Winged Gull phoyo by Rtein Eynsue

In the Pacific Northwest, it’s probably a Western Gull, a Glaucous-winged Gull, or a Herring Gull.  Pictured are mature ones.  The Herring Gull can be found all across North America.

The Atlantic and Gulf coasts are blessed with the Laughing Gull considered a medium size.

GreatBlack-backedGull photo by Steven Wickstrom

The North Atlantic coast has the Great Black-backed Gull and it is the largest.  Also called the California Gull and is common in Utah, their state bird.  Now there is a story for a later blog!

Color pattern is very useful so pay attention to the body parts:

Back color: Pay close attention to the color of the mantle, or back.

Head pattern: Most gulls have white heads although Franklin and Bonaparte’s have a black hood.

Wing pattern: Most gulls have gray wings with dark tips but some have pale wings.

Leg color: Large gulls typically have pink legs and medium gulls usually have yellow legs.  Small gulls can have black or red legs.  The leg coloring can change with age, season and health of the gull.

GreatBlack-backedGull photo by Steven Wickstrom

“What about that smudgy brown and mottled one I saw on the beach?”  you ask.  Ah, yes, now we get to the difficult part of identifying gulls.  Gulls change their coloring seemingly unceasingly as they mature from chicks to adults, which can take up to FOUR YEARS!  Including the color of their legs!   Most color descriptions are based on the breeding season.  Some changes in coloring will occur during non-breeding.  For a novice like myself, male and female markings are about the same.

So, if you know the most common gull along your beach and you are with friends for a stroll, you can confidently exclaim:  “That one is a Glaucous-winged Gull (insert the one most common to your area) and that brownish one over there is an immature one.  And the one over there is a non-breeding one!”

Photo Credits

Western Gull photo by Jeff Poklen click here to see his Seabird Photo site.

Glaucous Winged Gull phoyo by Rtein Eynsue from the blog Birdwatching by Wrwin, click here to see this blog.

Laughing Gull photo from Focus On Nature Tours, click here to see their website.

“The Seagull Who Was Afraid to Fly” is a book by Steven P. Wickstrom. Click here to check out his site to order the book and see the Great Black-back Gull photo and other gull photos and information.

We are visited each winter here in the Pacific Northwest by large flocks of Trumpeter Swans. They winter in the delta of the Skagit River near Mount Vernon, Washington. Here are a few photos I took this year of them.

Ever notice that when you are trying to take photos of ducks, geese or swans you mostly get photos of them moving away from you!

Bird Watchers are invited to take part in the 13^th annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), Friday February 12, through Monday, February 15, 2010. Participants in the free event will join tens of thousands of volunteers of all levels of birding experience to count birds in their own backyards, local parks or wildlife refuges.

Taking part in the GBBC is a great way to get outside with family and friends, have fun and help count birds – all at the same time. Anyone who can identify even a few species can provide important information.

Participants count birds for as little as 15 minutes (or as long as they wish) on one or more days of the event and report their sighting on at www.birdcount.org.

Bird populations are always shifting and changing. For example, 2009 GBBC date highlighted a huge southern invasion of Pine Siskins across much of the eastern United States. Participants counted 279,469 Pine Siskins on 18,528 checklists, as compared to a the previous high of 38,977 birds on 4,069 checklists in 2005. Failure of seed crops father north caused the Siskins to move south to find their favorite food.

On the www.birdcount.org website, participants can get more information and explore real-time maps and charts that show what others are reporting during the count. The site has tips to help identify birds and special material for educators. Participants may also enter the GBBC photo contest by uploading images taken during the count. Many images will be featured in the GBBC website’s photo gallery. All participants are entered in a drawing for prizes that include bird feeders, binoculars, books, CD’s, and many other great birding projects.

Why Count Birds?

Blackburnian Warbler

Scientist and bird enthusiasts can learn a lot by knowing where the birds are. Bird populations are dynamic; they are constantly in flux. No single scientist or team of scientists could hope to document the complex distribution and movements of so many species in such a short time.

The Great Backyard Bird Count needs your help. Make sure that birds from your area are well represented in the count. It doesn’t matter whether you report the 5 species coming to your backyard feeder or the 75 species you see during a day’s outing to as wildlife refuge. Your counts can help to answer many questions.

Binoculars are a very important tool for bird watching. This video shows you how to adjust them for your eyes.