Bonaparte's Gull - Chroicocephalus philadelphia

There were a bunch of these birds chasing the water in and out on the beach, looking for critters.

Habitat: Beach at low tide

comments (10)

Ferdy Christant

Lion

Ugh, this is one where I really wanted to help but I struggle with waders and gulls so much myself.

One thing worth trying is to use this as an excuse to try eBird:
https://ebird.org/region/US-ME/media?yr=all&m=

Really powerful platform, but a lot of information to wade through. If we can't find a match, we should probably ask Thibaud. Posted 5 years ago
1. Christine Young
  
  Lion
  
  Thanks for the link! I just checked it out and still can't figure out the species. Gulls are hard! I'll message Thibaud :). Posted 5 years ago
2. 1. Ferdy Christant
    
    Lion
    
    Haha yeah I had the same result myself. Posted 5 years ago
  2. 1. Christine Young
      
      Lion
      
      I just added a couple videos to show their behavior at the water's edge. In the first video, you can hear the sounds they make. They kind of sounded like zip ties. The sounds at the end of the 2nd video are not bird-related...they are just the shocked sounds I made when the freezing water hit my feet. Posted 5 years ago
    2. 1. Ferdy Christant
        
        Lion
        
        lmao.....HOHHHHH! Posted 5 years ago
      2. Christine Young
        
        Lion
        
        Lol!! It was sooo cold. Posted 5 years ago
        
        Thibaud Aronson
        
        Lion
        
        Sorry everyone! I'm in Peru (I'll upload photos soonish, I promise!) and I was in the forest for 2 weeks, and unfortunately missed your email the first time I checked my inbox after coming back.
        You already did most of the job, Christine. The small body, small bill, and black dot on the ear are characteristic of Chroicocephalus.
        And, as Ferdy recommended, if you look at eBird, you can see that the expected species fof Maine in June is Bonaparte's (black-headed, which is a rare European visitor, can easily be discarded because it has a red bill).
        Cheers!
        T Posted 5 years ago
        
        Christine Young
        
        Lion
        
        Thanks so much for the input, Thibaud. Enjoy the rest of your trip! Posted 5 years ago
        
        Thibaud Aronson
        
        Lion
        
        Thanks! I'm back a bit sooner than planned because Peru is taking covid very seriously and all the protected areas were shut down, so we had to leave the forest.
        I see you still haven't IDed the photos. Did it slip your mind, or was my phrasing too vague? These are pretty definitely Bonaparte's gulls. Posted 5 years ago
        
        Christine Young
        
        Lion
        
        Ohh, sorry - I did misunderstand! And, sorry you had to cut your trip short! Hope you enjoyed the time you did get there :). Posted 5 years ago