# Guess this gull - photo



## OH-YEAH!!! (Jun 18, 2009)

What type of gull is this? Spotted today in the Grand Haven channel.


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## Ray Duve (Jun 26, 2004)

I do belive this is a bonaparte's gull


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## Lucky Dog (Jul 4, 2004)

Ray Duve said:


> I do belive this is a bonaparte's gull



x 2


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## OH-YEAH!!! (Jun 18, 2009)

Yes. 

Bonaparte's Gull. Kind of neat to see instead of just the usual ring billed gulls.


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## Spartaned (Jan 24, 2006)

Bonaparte's...


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## swampbuck (Dec 23, 2004)

shop chicken


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## fowl (Feb 15, 2003)

Dumpster chicken, ghetto pheasant, call it what you will. No, really though I agree that it is a Bonaparte's.


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## Brown duck (Dec 16, 2005)

Not so fast! I think I may disagree. This looks to me to be a juvenile black-legged kittiwake. While the legs are underwater, they do appear to me to be very dark, whereas Bonaparte's gulls have pink legs. Also, while both have the black ear-spot (at least during the non-breeding season), the Bonaparte's gull lacks the dark neck band found on the Kittiwake, which is clearly apparent in this photo. Lastly, I cannot find a photo that shows a Bonaparte's sitting in the water with black showing along the middle parts of the flight feathers (wings) as the attached photo shows. 

From the USGS Patuxent Bird Lab site: 
_Immature Black-legged Kittiwakes have bold wing patterns that are similar to immature Bonaparte's, Black-headed, and Little gulls but have a distinctive black collar._

Also read the following from http://anythinglarus.blogspot.com/2011/01/black-legged-kittiwakes-on-southern.html (along with the spot-on photo):

_In late fall, BLKIs are regularly seen during lakewatches at the famous Miller Beach in Indiana. The lower Lake Michigan birds usually come in with stiff northwest winds and no more than 1-2 are expected on a "good" day of lakewatching. On 18 November, Ken Brock and company reported *26 individuals* (all juveniles) in Gary, Indiana - I've yet to find an inland record greater than this!_

I think this is a much more significant find than a Bonaparte's gull!


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## OH-YEAH!!! (Jun 18, 2009)




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## OH-YEAH!!! (Jun 18, 2009)




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## OH-YEAH!!! (Jun 18, 2009)




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## OH-YEAH!!! (Jun 18, 2009)

Brown duck said:


> Not so fast! I think I may disagree. This looks to me to be a juvenile black-legged kittiwake. While the legs are underwater, they do appear to me to be very dark, whereas Bonaparte's gulls have pink legs. Also, while both have the black ear-spot (at least during the non-breeding season), the Bonaparte's gull lacks the dark neck band found on the Kittiwake, which is clearly apparent in this photo. Lastly, I cannot find a photo that shows a Bonaparte's sitting in the water with black showing along the middle parts of the flight feathers (wings) as the attached photo shows.
> 
> From the USGS Patuxent Bird Lab site:
> _Immature Black-legged Kittiwakes have bold wing patterns that are similar to immature Bonaparte's, Black-headed, and Little gulls but have a distinctive black collar._
> ...


Brown Duck,

Thanks very much! Above, I posted all three pictures that I took of the gull or kittiwake.

The bird was seen on February 19th at about 4:30 pm in the lower Grand River just off the wall where the Grand Haven waterfront stadium is located.

It was a fairly calm day but pretty cold.


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## Lucky Dog (Jul 4, 2004)

I think Brown Duck wins the prize. The bird in his link sure looks like the original photo to me.

What was hat prize any way??


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## OH-YEAH!!! (Jun 18, 2009)

Lucky Dog said:


> I think Brown Duck wins the prize. The bird in his link sure looks like the original photo to me.
> 
> What was hat prize any way??


Bragging Rights as Birder Extraordinaire on Michigan-Sportsman!


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## OH-YEAH!!! (Jun 18, 2009)

Nice job, Brown Duck. 

I emailed this link and a photo to the author of the blog regarding the Black Legged Kittiwake and this was his reply:

Hi, Paul. Unquestionably a 1st winter Black-legged Kittiwake. Very nice photos! This is one of my favorite gulls. This might be the post you're referring to:

http://anythinglarus.blogspot.com/2011/01/black-legged-kittiwakes-on-southern.html

A first winter Bonaparte's wouldn't have a thick black hindcollar like the kittiwake:

http://anythinglarus.blogspot.com/2010/11/preformative-molt-and-bonapartes-gull.html

All the best,
Amar


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## Brown duck (Dec 16, 2005)

OH-YEAH!!! said:


> Bragging Rights as Birder Extraordinaire on Michigan-Sportsman!


No cash prize? Oh well, I'll take the kudos!


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## Speyday (Oct 1, 2004)

Brown duck is right. We saw one of these over in sheboygan harbor wisconsin. It made a roost same time last year. It used a tin roof of a picnic shelter that was elev. about 12 ft. Maybe if that habit is strong you could look for spots like that where he may also has made his roost.

He set up shop, madee the local paper, and and stayed for about 2 weeks; bird-lovers were driving from all over, hanging out in droves watching it. They are really a coastal gull, and they are actually quite rare. 

What was funny is that it seemed so elusvie to those folks on land who couldn't get to within 50 yards and it would scoot off. BUT, my buddy and I were in my pontoon raft, and we shared the harbor water My buddy had shrimp that he was throwing to it... leftover bait; and he loved that !!! Then, he got really friendly and came to within 20 ft.

It was hilarious the way he would play with his food; throwing it around, shaking it, breaking and ripping it up before he finally took it down. 

We were the only fools trolling the harbor in slushy february; and some folks thought we were kind of a spectacle, too.


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