Landfill Report: February 20

We (Bryant and I) went to the landfill yesterday and had a pretty good day. When we got there all the gulls were sitting a couple hundred yards away and were positioned straight into the sun. We were contemplating how long we should stay, when they started coming in towards the trash pile to eat. Soon we had a nice gathering of them in close, although the lighting was still poor.  There was eventually enough cloud cover that we could pick out a nice variety of gulls including the following: 15 Thayer's Gulls,  5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls,  2 Iceland (Kumlien's) Gulls, and 2 intermediate Thayer's/Kumlien's. We also had a possible Nelson's Gull (Herring x Glaucous). Thoughts on this bird?

Possible Nelson's Gull:  Photo by Andrew

Possible Nelson's Gull:  Photo by Bryant

1st cycle Kumlien's Gull:  Photo by Andrew

1st cycle Kumlien's Gull:  Photo by Andrew

Adult Thayer's Gull:  Photo by Andrew

  Andrew

Reno County Landfill report: February 12

 Bryant, Andrew and I spent the afternoon at the Reno County Landfill and the adjacent sandpit. We had, shall we say, an amazing time. We pulled up to the sandpit and carefully scanned the 1000 or so gulls sitting on the water. A 3rd cycle Lesser Black-backed was the only bird of interest for a while, but then Bryant spotted a very pale gull coming in. We looked at it carefully for the next few minutes and it concluded that it was probably a 2nd cycle Iceland. That would be the second one in three days! We moved around the sandpit and got better looks, though no good photos. It eventually flew off towards the landfill so we headed over there.

We promptly found several 1st cycle Thayer's and a few more LBBG of various ages. I happened to glance over at some other gulls and spotted a 1st cycle Kumlien's standing just a short distance away! We cautiously approached within about 20 to 30 feet and got some great photos before it flew off. Although we will have to find out for sure on the 2nd cycle, we probably had two Kumlien's Icelands in one day! This is still a review species in Kansas with only about fifteen previous records.

Note the pale, patterned tertials and white primaries

2nd cycle Kumlien's /Thayer's? Thoughts on the ID?

Other highlights were: 10+ Thayer's Gull (these really need to be taken off the eBird filter), 7+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls (2 adults, 1 4th cycle, 2 3rd cycles and 2 1st cycles), A hybrid type, possibly GBBG x HEGU or very atypical Herring, Both a Ring-billed and a Herring with one dark, presumably defective eye and one banded 4th cycle Herring (I didn't notice it till I checked my photos on the way home). A total of five gull species for the day, my personal record!

One of the many Thayer's Gulls.This one is perhaps a bit darker than typical.

3rd cycle LBBG

3rd cycle LBBG

Hybrid Great Black-backed x Herring or aberrant Herring? Your thoughts are welcome on this. Photo by Andrew

Hybrid Great Black-backed x Herring or aberrant Herring? Your thoughts are welcome on this. Photo byAndrew

Banded 4th cycle Herring Gull

 Joseph

First cycle Iceland (Kumlien's) Gull

Yesterday I went to Hoskinson's Sandpit in Hutchinson.  Upon arriving, one of the first gulls I identified was an adult Lesser Black-backed!  Over the next hour there was a constant stream of gulls coming from the landfill including a couple adult Thayer's.  I also had a Killdeer, which is the earliest I have ever had one.  During the last fifteen minutes that I could be there, I looked up and to my surprise saw a very pale gull flying over!  I quickly put my binoculars on it and saw right away that it was either a very pale Thayer's or a Iceland(Kumlien's).  I frantically took several pictures before it started to circle higher and higher.  I quickly called Bryant, who was at piano lessons in town, but it disappeared out of sight about two minutes before he got there.  We rushed over to the landfill, which was in the direction it had disappeared.  When we got there we scanned the sky, hoping to catch a glimpse of the gull.  We were beginning to despair when Bryant yelled," There it is!"  Sure enough, there it was, circling high over head.  It disappeared out of sight about a minute later.  When we got home we looked over our pictures, but we were not sure enough to call it a Kumlien's.  So we sent it to Jon King, the ebird reviewer, and he agreed that it is a Kumlien's!  This is about the fifteenth record for Kansas of an Iceland Gull.

Iceland(Kumlien's) Gull

Iceland(Kumlien's) Gull

Andrew