Not as abundant as I had hoped it seemed that American Herring Gull had not yet appeared in numbers along the coast when I was there however I still had enough birds to keep me busy for some time though second, third and fourth years were scarce.
The best location was Salinas River mouth and Goat Rock Beach at Jenner in the early morning.
The below first winter is more or less a classic individual; pale contrasting head, velvet brown under-parts, heavily barred under-tail coverts, dark based greater coverts and dark minimally notched tertials.
The bill shows a distinct pale base which is typical of American Herring Gull of this age, note that also the scapulars are not yet fully first-winter. An excellent bird.
For more images of American Herring Gull click here.
California - November 2009
American Herring Gull
Heermann's Gull
Boneparte's Gulls
Mew Gull
Ring-billed Gull
California Gull
Thayer's Gull
Hybrids
Albino Gull sp.
Glaucous-winged Gull
Yellow-footed Gull
Western Gull
American Herring Gull
This American Herring Gull is still in juvenile plumage as can be seen by the juvenile scapulars. The pale head contrasting with the overall brown plumage (though this bird has a whiter breast than the individual above) and pale based bill. The greater coverts are clearly dark based and finely notched creating a rather solidly dark wing. The under-tail coverts are heavily barred.
Roberts Lake at Marina, near Monterey, was a good place to get close to gulls though only a handful and smithsonianus appeared here at any one time, bigger gatherings in the evening on the lake.
As can be seen the variation in juvenile and first-winter American Herring Gull can be mind boggling. You have classic tick all the boxes birds as in the above then you have a bird like this that simply would not get picked out from a crowd of European Herring Gulls.
The difference in plumage tones and patterning is remarkably different to those above being more mottled below, wing coverts more marked lacking the significantly darker bases, the under-tail coverts are not strikingly barred and the head does not stand out a paler than the rest of the body. The bill though is still pale based.
As with the juvenile bird above it is extremely unlikely that this adult would be picked out from the crowd. The slightly pallid bill tones and head streaking turning into mottling on the neck is similar to that seen on some European Herring Gulls. This individual wasn't particularly large but it does have a long-winged impression.
A bigger more heavily marked around the head and neck bird than the one above. Again note the pale bill tones. There is a large mirror to P10 but not much more than a small white spot on P9.
