Thayer’s Gull – Ethical Birder

Siletz Bay

November 24, 2016November 24, 2016 by John Rakestraw, posted in mammals, OR Birding Sites, rarities

This Common Scoter was recently found in Siletz Bay, just south of Lincoln City. This is only the second record of this species in North America, so he was definitely worth chasing.

The Common Scoter seems pretty comfortable in Siletz Bay, feeding and resting near the pull-out just south of the Schooner Creek bridge, so he was an easy tick. I just showed up and there he was. It can seem a little anticlimactic when a staked-out bird is too easy to find. But the advantage of such a situation is that you have the time to explore the surrounding area. On this day I birded from the D River in Lincoln City to Boiler Bay. This whole area is covered on pages 155 – 157 of Birding Oregon. There are a lot of birds packed into just over two pages. Or perhaps my writing is just very concise.

This Bonaparte’s Gull was hanging out at the D River.

male Brewer’s Blackbird, D River

female Brewer’s Blackbird, D River. I find female Brewer’s to be much more photogenic than males. Perhaps my camera just doesn’t do well with extreme blacks and whites.

Surf Scoters in the surf

The sand spit at the mouth of Siletz Bay is a favorite haul out spot for Harbor Seals.

happy Harbor Seal

Red-throated Loon

A little farther up the bay, I found two Brant. I don’t get to see then often enough.

Recent storms have brought a lot of Red Phalaropes to the coast and points inland. These birds were hanging out at the Salishan golf course.
It’s nice that a golf course is actually being good for something.

I saw some nice birds at Boiler Bay, but most were too far out for photos. This Thayer’s Gull was perched on this little knob of rock for several hours.

One can often get close looks at Black Oystercatchers at Boiler Bay. This bird was particularly vocal.
Black Oystercatcher, sleeping with one eye open

The Siletz Bay area is typically not a big birding destination, with the exception of Boiler Bay. But this stretch of the coast can be very birdy, so it was nice that the Common Scoter has inspired so many birders to explore the area. Cheers.

Cannon Beach

January 25, 2014 by John Rakestraw, posted in behavior, OR Birding Sites, rarities

While I recognize the serious nature of the current drought, it is hard to be unhappy about sunshine in January. So after many weeks of not birding, I finally got out and spent a day on the coast. On the path around the Cannon Beach wastewater ponds, I came across a flock of Greater White-fronted Geese.

This Eurasian Wigeon was hanging out with the Mallards at the wastewater treatment plant.

Ring-necked Duck

In the surf around Haystack Rock, there were lots of Surf Scoters and Black Scoters, but they kept out of camera range. This is a Harlequin Duck. No, really.

The mouth of Ecola Creek, at the north end of Cannon Beach, is a favorite hangout of the local gulls. I found Western, Glaucous-winged, California, Mew, Herring, and Thayer’s. Unfortunately, photographing white birds in bright sunshine against a dark background is beyond my rudimentary skills. Most of my shots consisted of glowing white blobs surrounded by lovely blue water. This shot of a third-cycle Thayer’s Gull bathing in the creek is at least recognizable.

This Red-shouldered Hawk was at Mill Ponds Park in nearby Seaside.
The same bird in the middle of a roust
I couldn’t get a flight shot of the Red-shouldered in focus, but this at least shows this species’ beautiful pattern.

Westmoreland Park

November 15, 2012 by John Rakestraw, posted in OR Birding Sites, seasonal movements

A quick visit to Westmoreland Park in southeast Portland revealed good numbers of waterfowl and gulls typical of this little urban duck pond in the winter.

Two duck butts in the middle of the pond stood out because of their large size. They turned out to be Tundra Swans, the first I have seen at this park.

Of course, every visit to Westmoreland requires a quick scan of the gull flock.

Ring-billed Gull

Herring Gull

Thayer’s Gull

Gadwalls don’t sport a lot of color, but are lovely little ducks.

Individualism: All of these things are not like the others

March 29, 2012 by John Rakestraw, posted in identification challenges

There are two statements that will immediately and significantly damage a birder’s credibility: “I’m sure of the ID, because the bird looked exactly like the picture in my field guide.” and “It couldn’t be that species because it doesn’t look like the bird in my field guide.”

The fact is, no bird looks exactly like the picture in the field guide. Field guide illustrations are either an artist’s interpretation or a photo of a particular individual at one moment in time. Every bird is slightly different from every other bird. Rather than looking for birds that are an exact match to a picture, our goal in field identification is to combine elements of size, shape, color, pattern, sound, and behavior into a recognizable species.

Here we have a “textbook” Thayer’s Gull in winter plumage. The head is round, giving the bird a petite or gentle expression. The eye is dark, the underside of the primaries show a lot of white, and the bill is that characteristic greenish-gray color with a bright yellow tip.

This Thayer’s Gull is not quite as round-headed as the previous bird, and the the bill is more yellow, but everything else seems OK. Head shape will vary with the bird’s position, and males tend to be more “robust” than females. So we have a little variation on this bird, no need to panic.

The forehead on this bird is really flat, like that of a Herring Gull, and the bill is noticeably longer. The white underside of the outer primaries is still good for Thayer’s. If you zoom in, you can see the pink orbital ring, also good for Thayer’s. While some Herring Gulls show dark flecks on the iris, their eyes never appear this dark. It appears that we have a very butch Thayer’s Gull.

And now we know why some birders avoid gulls. The pale eye suggests Herring Gull, but up to 20 percent of Thayer’s Gulls can have a pale iris. The head is pretty round, suggesting Thayer’s. The bill is neither too big or too small, and is very yellow. No orbital ring is visible. What we can see of the underside of the primaries is white, but we can’t see it all. So do we have a robust Thayer’s Gull with a light iris, or a very demure Herring Gull?

Here is a similar bird, but the bill is a little smaller and you can see a pink orbital ring, making this a good pale-eyed Thayer’s Gull.

All this variation cannot be covered in a standard field guide. For complicated groups like gulls, more detailed identification guides are very useful. Then you can say, “The bird looked similar to the one in the gull guide.”

Sunny Day at Westmoreland Park

December 15, 2011 by John Rakestraw, posted in identification challenges, OR Birding Sites, Uncategorized

Best known as a local gull hotspot, Portland’s Westmoreland Park also hosts good numbers of Cackling Geese in winter. This December has been unusually dry and sunny, so instead of my photos being grainy and dark, they are now overexposed.

Ridgeway’s Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii minima) is the smallest race of Cackler, only slightly larger than a Mallard. Their stubby bills and purplish breasts are good field marks. Many individuals also display a prominent white collar.

cuteness

Of course, you can’t visit Westmoreland in winter without appreciating a Thayer’s Gull. This is such a hard bird to find throughout much of the country, I always stop to enjoy them, despite their local abundance. You can’t see this bird’s eye or bill, but the white underside of the far wing and the amount of white visible on the outermost primary (p10) on the near wing are both good clues to the bird’s ID. (yeah, I’m a bird nerd, and I’m proud.)

Eurasian Wigeon is another species that Portlanders enjoy on a regular basis, while birders elsewhere can only dream.

Thayer’s and Herring Gulls

February 7, 2011 by John Rakestraw, posted in identification challenges

Once considered to be part of the same same species, Thayer’s and Herring Gulls can appear quite similar at first glance.The pattern on the spread wing is very different between the two, but that doesn’t help you with birds at rest.

Here is a Thayer’s Gull on the left, and a Herring Gull on the right. In direct comparison, we can see that the Thayer’s has a slightly darker mantle, rounder head, dark eyes (usually), and a bill that is greenish-gray at the base and yellow at the tip.

Here is a closer look at the Thayer’s Gull. This is probably a male, given the long bill and slightly sloping forehead. Note the color pattern on the bill, typical of Thayer’s Gulls in winter.

Another Herring Gull, probably a female. This bird has a smaller bill and a slightly more rounded head than the bird in the first photo, giving this individual a more Thayer’s-like quality. Note the all-yellow bill, the pale eye, and the light gray mantle.

This Herring Gull, probably a male, has a larger bill and a more sloping forehead.

This is a first-cycle Thayer’s Gull. Note the round head and small bill. The overall color is rather pale, with fine markings.

First-cycle Herring Gulls are darker overall, with heavier markings. This is most apparent on the greater wing coverts. Note the sloping forehead and slightly larger bill.

Gull Glamour Shots

February 17, 2009 by John Rakestraw, posted in species profile

The gulls along the Willamette River in downtown Portland are quite used to people, and, in fact, seek them out in hopes of a handout. (A similar behavior is exhibited by some people along the river in downtown Portland.) This gives you an excellent opportunity to look at these birds up close and personal. Who says gulls aren’t sexy?

This is the third-cycle Slaty-backed Gull that has been hanging out in Portland. Part of the appeal of this bird, of course, is the novelty associated with this exotic visitor from Siberia.

Thayer’s Gulls always seem to have this demure air about them. Is it their gentle features and brooding dark eyes? Or are they contemplating whether they are, in fact, a separate species or just the western subspecies of Iceland Gull?

This bird shows off the massive school-bus-yellow bill and yellow orbital ring of a Western Gull. The bit of streaking on the head and neck reveals that a Glaucous-winged Gull perches somewhere in this bird’s family tree.

Gull Gallery

January 10, 2009February 22, 2009 by John Rakestraw, posted in identification challenges, OR Birding Sites

Portland’s Westmoreland Park is a great place to find a variety of gull species during winter. Seven species and one hybrid are regular, and there is always the possibility of something more unusual showing up.

California Gull: medium-gray mantle, long dark wingtips that extend well beyond the tail, long straight bill with both red and black gonydeal spots, yellowish legs and feet with blue-gray cast.

Ring-billed Gull: smaller size, neat black ring around bill, long dark wingtips, yellow legs and feet.

Here’s the Ring-billed Gull at rest. Note the fine streaking on the head and the red orbital ring.

Mew Gull: petite yellow bill, round head, long wing extension. These small gulls will mix with the Ring-billed flock, but generally don’t mix with the larger gulls.

Glaucous-winged Gull: Note the lack of contrast on this bird. The short wingtips are the same color as the mantle. The head and upper breast are covered with an even blurry mottling. The only parts that don’t blend in are the pink legs and feet.

Western Gull: large size, dark gray mantle, short black wingtips, never any marks on the head – even in winter. This species is much more common on the coast, but a few make it in to the Willamette Valley in winter.

Western Gull X Glaucous-winged Gull hybrid (Olympic Gull): an even blending of characteristics of both parent species. The mantle is darker than a pure GW, but Westerns never show this much mottling on the head and neck. The wingtips are dark, but not actually black. You can tell this is a third cycle individual by the tiny bit of black on the tail and by the odd pattern on the bill. These hybrids show a great deal of variation, and are often the most numerous gulls in the area.

Herring Gull: sloping forehead, pale eye, bill not too thick, black wingtips that extend beyond the tail.

Thayer’s Gull: rounded forehead, thin bill, dark eye (usually, not always), long black wingtips with much more white on the underside.

Pacific City

February 27, 2008June 5, 2008 by John Rakestraw, posted in OR Birding Sites

I spoke at the annual Birds and Blues Festival last Saturday in Pacific City, OR. Our hotel room had a lovely view of Haystack Rock. (There is another Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach, but the residents of Pacific City refer to that one as “the small one.”)

The area around Pacific City is the only winter home of the Semidi Islands Aleutian Cackling Goose. The birds spend the day grazing in short pastures, and at night roost on the ocean near Haystack Rock. In the morning, you can watch the birds take off in small flocks as they head out to feed. There is something special about being able to sit on your balcony and see every member of a distinct population of bird. But it is also very frightening to realize that one storm or one oil spill could wipe out the entire population.

This Thayer’s Gull chose to nap in the middle of a parking lot.

Answers to Gull Quiz (look at the quiz first)

January 5, 2008June 6, 2008 by John Rakestraw, posted in identification challenges

#1 Glaucous-winged Gull
The first thing you notice about this bird is the lack of contrast. The pattern is soft and blurry, and the primaries and tertials are the same color as the rest of the bird. The big head and substantial bill are also good for this species.

#2 Thayer’s Gull
The pattern on this bird is very crisp, almost checkered. The tertials and primaries are darker than the rest of the bird. The primaries are two-toned; a dark leading edge and a pale trailing edge. This is the classic mark for Thayer’s Gull. The round head and thin bill are also important marks.

#3 Herring Gull
This bird’s pattern is fairly dark, but not as crisp as the Thayer’s. The tertials and primaries are blackish, and mostly solid. Note the sloping forehead and two-toned bill (heavier than Thayer’s but still fairly thin).

So now go to your local parking lot or beach with a few cat treats and take another look at your local gulls. There is great beauty to be found in subtleties.