Brookline Bird Club – America’s most active bird club!

Successful Gull Walk at Revere Beach

On Saturday November 15 the BBC sponsored a very successful gull-focused walk at Revere Beach. 35 birders showed up to learn about plumages, molts, and cycles. Led by Soheil Zendeh, Justine Hanson, and local gull expert Suzanne Sullivan, the group spent two hours examining and learning how to identify 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th cycle Herring Gulls.

As our fall speaker Amar Ayyash, author of The Gull Guide, explained, not two Herring Gulls look alike. We learned to focus on feather groups such as scapulars, coverts and primaries while not getting overly distracted by leg and f ootcolor. We also had the opportunity to examine several Ring Billed Gulls and a handful of adult Great Black Backed Gulls. While they did not offer as much variety as the Herring Gulls, we found opportunities for instruction and these species sometimes served as points of contrast with the abundant Herring Gulls.

The most interesting bird of the morning was a probable “Great Lakes” 2nd cycle Herring Gull, which displayed the lighter colors thought to be found in that breeding population.

The BBC will be sponsoring one more gull focused trip this fall, at Winthrop Beach on December 6 starting at 7:30 and led by Ilija Dukovski. Please be sure to join us!

Adult Ring Billed Gull
Adult Ring Billed Gull by Soheil Zendah
2nd Cycle Probable "Great Lakes" Herring Gull
2nd Cycle Probable “Great Lakes” Herring Gull by Soheil Zendah
3rd Cycle Ring Billed Gull
3rd Cycle Ring Billed Gull by Soheil Zendah
Revere Beach Gull Walk Participants
by Cliff Cook
Revere Beach Gull Walk Participants
by John Edmondson
Revere Beach Gull Walk Participants
by Michealle Larkins

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