Little Gull Magic - 23 Nov 2022
While Robin and I were at lunch Andrew Sturgess reported a Little Gull in the channel in front of the Detroit River Hawk Watch in southern Wayne Co., MI. I hadn't planned to do any birding today, but this one was a must-chase! Little Gull has traditionally been a nemesis bird for me; I seem to miss them every time one is reported nearby and I haven't had a photo of one since 2010! This one was from May of that year taken with a Nikon D300 and a Sigma 400/5.6 lens. Granted, it was rainy and foggy and the bird was a quarter-mile away, but I've dreamed of better pics. Today, that dream came true.
I arrived at the Lake Erie Metropark Boat Launch just after 1 pm. Kevin, Andrew, Bill and Erika were there and reported 3 Golden Eagles seen for the day. I asked Bill if the Little Gull was still around and he pointed me in the direction of the tiny bird circling out in the channel among a larger flock of Bonaparte's Gulls. I was able to see it even before I had the binoculars up, and as luck would have it, the bird was circling and heading in my direction. I was waiting with the Sony a1 and 600mm f/4. With afternoon sunlight behind me and calm clear skies I was shooting in perfect conditions. The adult bird did not disappoint. 2400 photos later it finally drifted off into the mouth of the channel where it foraged among the bonies at scope distance.
Black wing linings are distinctive. The gray back and white-tipped wing feathers and all-white tail are typical in adult birds in basic plumage. This bird is gorgeous!
Little Gulls are the smallest of the North America gulls but are only slightly smaller than our more-common Bonaparte's Gulls. The white head and dark ear spot are similar in both, but the Little Gull has the added dark gray cap that is lacking on the Bonaparte's Gull. Bill size is also slightly smaller than bony's but is a difficult trait to compare, especially when birds are flying around. Note the bright white wedge on the Bonaparte's Gull compared to the all-gray wings of the Little Gull and white-tipped primaries, secondaries and tertials.
With the bird continuously circling out in front of us at the boat launch I had no choice but to shoot away.
Non-breeding individuals and juveniles are typically found in North America along the east and west coasts in winter with birds annually seen in the Great Lakes region.
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| courtesy of AllAboutBirds.com |
eBird sightings put most sightings in our region but most birds are seen in eastern Europe.
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| courtesy of AllAboutBirds.com |
We can add one more sighting to the Great Lakes region. What a great way to celebrate the Thanksgiving Weekend! Thanks, Andy and Bill!
Lake Erie Metropark, Wayne, Michigan, US
Nov 23, 2022 1:00 PM
Protocol: Incidental
Checklist Comments: Detroit River Hawk Watch
1 species
Little Gull (Hydrocoloeus minutus) 1 Reported earlier in day by Andrew Sturgess. Boat Launch. Small gull w/ black wing linings. Adult.
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S1
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
Nov 23, 2022 1:00 PM
Protocol: Incidental
Checklist Comments: Detroit River Hawk Watch
1 species
Little Gull (Hydrocoloeus minutus) 1 Reported earlier in day by Andrew Sturgess. Boat Launch. Small gull w/ black wing linings. Adult.
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S1
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
