California day five - Oakland to Half Moon Bay

It was a pretty murky morning as we headed into Oakland and along the shores of Lake Merritt. Lots of gulls about, but just Ring-billed, Westerns, the odd Glaucous-winged and California and a single American Herring. This site has previously been a good bet for Barrow's Goldeneye, but there haven't been any about regularly this winter. Nevertheless some showy Canvasbacks, Lesser Scaup and Black-crowned Night Herons as well as a couple of Belted Kingfishers were nice enough before we braved the San Francisco rush hour traffic and headed south over the Bay Bridge.

drake Canvasback Lake Merritt, California

By mid-morning, the gloom had turned into a nice morning. And with the aid of some directions, we headed into Golden Gate Park, and to an area of log piles near the junction of Nancy Pelosi Drive and Martin Luther King Drive. Here, it took about half an hour to locate the overwintering Rustic Bunting as it lurked in among the juncos - never coming out of the undergrowth, it didn't show too badly at all. Quite a contrast searching for this alongside White-crowned, Golden-crowned, Song and Fox Sparrows while American Robins hopped about with Townsend's Warblers in the trees above!

Rustic Bunting (above two images) Golden Gate Park, California

Townsend's Warbler Golden Gate Park, California

Sooty Fox Sparrow Golden Gate Park, California

American Robin Golden Gate Park, California

Having visited Golden Gate Park a couple of times previously, I knew how photogenic some birds on the small lakes were and so ensued a bit of a papping session - Ring-necked Ducks, Pied-billed Grees, Buffleheads, Hooded Mergansers and Mew Gulls being the main targets.

drake Ring-necked Duck Golden Gate Park, California

drake Lesser Scaup Golden Gate Park, California

drake Bufflehead Golden Gate Park, California

adult Mew Gull Golden Gate Park, California

Pied-billed Grebe Golden Gate Park, California

And once we were done, we headed half an hour or south to Half Moon Bay for another visit to Venice Beach and its gulls. Plenty of nice photographs taken of commoner species, and what with just a couple of days left, I was conscious to try and stock up on the different ages of each species and get a few flight shots too. A single Heermann's Gull, four American Herring Gulls and this hybrid presumed Glaucous-winged x American Herring Gull were the highlights.

adult American Herring x Glaucous-winged Gull Half Moon Bay, California

California day four - Bodega Bay to Colusa

It was another morning of hitting the beaches. Before that though, I swung into Doran Beach (just south of Bodega Bay) where we quickly located a Eurasian Wigeon on a small roadside lagoon among a small group of American Wigeon. Just like yesterday's Tufted Duck, I am starting to wonder whether I've been to California too many times when I drop in to have a look at stuff like this...

drake Eurasian Wigeon Bodega Bay, California - same as how they look in London!

Anyhow, it was back to the gulls after a quick stop at Diekmann's Store where an Orange-crowned Warbler, a few Chestnut-backed Chickadees and Yellow-rumped Warblers were seen. Most of the morning was then spent on the beach at Jenner at the mouth of the Russian River, where the undoubted highlight of the trip for me was a lovely dark, smooth and cute looking juvenile Thayer's Gull. Totally lush in every sense of the word.

juvenile Thayer's Gull Jenner, California

It contrasted nicely with this extreme juvenile too.

juvenile Thayer's Gull Jenner, California - an extremely pale individual

All told, there were about five juvenile Thayer's Gulls and two adults - as well as greater numbers of American Herring Gulls of all ages. But unlike yesterday, a lot of the birds weren't too cooperative and the Western Gulls quickly mastered the art of laying into our bread completely uninvited. And if it wasn't them, the closeness to the Pacific breakers meant a bit of our gull food got washed out with them (and quickly devoured by gulls subsequently).

adult California Gull Salmon Creek, California

Our final coastal stop was to be Salmon Creek again - and despite a distinct lack of anything interesting with the Glaucous-winged, California, American Herring and Western Gulls the views of Mew Gulls feeding in the surf more than made up for it.

adult Mew Gull Salmon Creek, California

And on that note, after a nice Belted Kingfisher by the roadside, we headed inland a couple of hours or so. I'd been stacking up the Eurasian vagrants for this trip (still one more to come tomorrow fingers crossed), and with a Falcated Duck overwintering at Colusa NWR that was the next port of call. Having headed through the mountains, we arrived to copious amounts of ducks on the pond just off Highway 20. I'd never seen so many ducks - thousands of American Wigeons, Pintails and Gadwall, hundreds of Ring-necked Ducks and smaller numbers of Lesser Scaup and Green-winged Teal as well as large flocks of Pacific White-fronted Geese and a small skein of Ross' Geese over.

After about an hour of scanning, I finally picked out the drake Falcated Duck, roosting at the back of the lagoon among American Wigeon and Pintail. Just like the Tufted Duck and Eurasian Wigeon, the views weren't ideal for shots - in fact, it was mega distant and there was no way of getting any closer. I also picked up at least three drake Eurasian Wigeons in total, as well as what looked like a female alongside one of the drakes.

Pacific White-fronted Goose Colusa NWR, California

And so we headed to the National Wildlife Refuge proper for the last bit of light, and on the 'autotour' [a way of allowing fat yanks to view wildlife from their car with minimum walking] highlights included Cinnamon Teal, American Bittern, Western Meadowlark, Northern Harrier and a nice roosting group of Black-crowned Night Herons. As dusk approached, the geese were nice and active, calling away, and a fitting end to another decent day in California.

California day three - Point Reyes to Jenner

We awoke today to a load of gloom here in Petaluma. The plan was to start the day's birding/gulling at nearby Lucchesi Park where myself, Lee G and Josh J a couple of years ago had feasted on loads of Thayer's Gulls and generally just good gulling. To my dismay this morning, I arrived to find the place had been totally gentrified! Signs saying 'do not feed the birds', new landscaping and generally not the 'shit hole' feel of a couple of years ago. So, as we all know, gulls love places most of us don't so alas there were no gulls to sort through here and so we moved on...

The next stop was a bit of dirty ABA twitching and, it was roles reversed. I searched through upwards of 500 Ring-necked Ducks and Lesser Scaups at Stafford Lake to find a single drake Tufted Duck - and it was asleep on the far side of the lake! That said, the place was alive with activity - three Varied Thrushes among a load of American Robins, Hermit Thrush, Spotted Sandpipers, Killdeers, several American Wigeons, a single Cackling Goose along with copious doses of Buffleheads.

White-crowned Sparrow Point Reyes, California

Half an hour later, we arrived at Inverness where scanning the bay didn't reveal the hoped for Eurasian Wigeon (nor any American Wigeons) though loads of Buffleheads, Greater and Lesser Scaups and Black Brants were a bit of compensation. We headed through the dramatic yet bleak landscape at Point Reyes, arriving at the end of the point where showy White-crowned Sparrows and Savannah Sparrows were easily papped. We ended up overlooking Chimney Rock, where three Brown Boobies were present amongst the Brown Pelicans and Western Gulls; an adult and two immatures, rare birds and a bit of a bonus for this trip.

Brown Boobies on Chimney Rock, Point Reyes, California

It was nearly time to ease those larid withdrawal symptoms. But only after a nice Red-shouldered Hawk en route to the bushes below Diekmann's Store in Bodega Bay, where Nashville Warbler, a couple of Orange-crowned and Yellow-rumped Warblers, Anna's Hummingbird and Golden-crowned Sparrow showed up nicely. Just a couple of miles further up the coast was Salmon Creek - a tried and tested site for gull papping. And today was no exception with an adult and two juvenile Thayer's Gulls, several Mew Gulls, half a dozen American Herring Gulls along with the ubiquitous Glaucous-winged and Western Gulls.

American Herring Gulls Salmon Creek - adult (top), 2nd-winter (middle) and 1st-winter (bottom)

For most, an hour of gulls would have been enough. Not for myself, Mick S and Richard S. Instead, we decided to do it all again a little further up the coast at Jenner; again a previously visited site where gulls (and seals) congregate at the mouth of the Russian River and tend to show nicely. There were larger numbers here, and there were at least seven Thayer's Gulls here (four adults and three juveniles) as well as some nice looking American Herring Gulls, Mew Gulls and the like.

adult Thayer's Gulls Jenner, California (above two images)

juvenile Thayer's Gulls Jenner, California (above two images)

1st-winter American Herring Gull Jenner, California

Like the previous two days, ringed Western Gulls featured - one yellow ringed bird and a couple of blue ringed individuals too.

ringed Western Gulls - 1st-winter (top) at Salmon Creek and 2nd-winter (bottom) at Jenner

California day two - Monterey to Half Moon Bay

It was nice to have slept in a bed last night! So up and refreshed, we hit Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey early on. Light was great for the first half an hour and with a surprising number of Mew Gulls on the beach, I was happy to reconnect with just how diminutive and different they are to our Common Gulls; the difference in first-winter birds is just absurd. There were also a handful of Heermann's Gulls about, a couple of blue ringed Western Gulls and a load of Surf Scoters offshore. Anyway, after a lovely bit of light and a bit of dog walking flushing, the fog rolled in and that was that.

adult Mew Gulls, Monterey

adult Heermann's Gull, Monterey

adult Western Gull, Monterey

Moss Landing was very quiet; the river mouth provided loads of Brown Pelicans, the odd Western Gull and a small number of Savannah Sparrows singing their hearts out. A mid-morning bagel stop provided some roosting Black-crowned Night Herons as a bonus while trying to locate gulls near the Pajaro river mouth was fruitless. And so we headed inland half an hour or so to Los Gatos, where this stray eastern warbler was lingering: -

Black-throated Blue Warbler, Los Gatos

The walk around the creek between the edge of town and Route 17 also provided some decent views of Townsend's Warbler, Oregon Junco and Oak Titmouse. However, the gulls a bit further on at Milpitas failed to show - in my 2013 trip, this site provided ample opportunities to study a good number of Thayer's Gulls. Today, one gull was present and that was a pretty distant, rancid-looking Ring-billed Gull.

Time to head back to the coast, where the rest of the day was spent at Venice Beach, just north of Half Moon Bay. A pretty reliable site for gulls, and it was here that the Thayer's Gull duck was broken - two adults noted in the end. There were also a good number of Glaucous-winged Gulls; a species that increases in numbers from Monterey northwards. Good numbers of Mew Gulls were also present, as well as half a dozen American Herring Gulls and a couple of Heermann's Gulls, as well as a concoction of hybrids. Snowy Plovers, and some showy Surf Scoters just offshore, mixed it up a little species wise too.

adult Thayer's Gull, Half Moon Bay

1st-winter American Herring Gull, Half Moon Bay

adult Glaucous-winged Gull, Half Moon Bay

presumed adult American Herring x Glaucous-winged Gull, Half Moon Bay

Good to be back in the gull action here in California. The further north you get, the better the gulls are. And after the three day weekend due to Presidents' Day, hopefully most of the state will be back in work in the morning.

Snowy Plover, Half Moon Bay

California day one - Santa Barbara to Big Sur

It's the school holidays once again, and predictably I'm off gulling (and birding) in California. I arrived with Mick S and Richard S late last night into LA, and after a smooth transition through the airport things were looking good at the start of the trip. That is until we tried getting somewhere to stay - literally every single motel we tried (and we tried a lot) was booked out. Why? February 14th, need I say more. Classy yanks!

And so, after a night in the car that equated to pretty much zero sleep, we started on the beach at Santa Barbara. It's a place I knew well, having visited here in early January 2014. Little had changed, with a nice flock of Black Skimmers and Royal Terns along with southern California's standard gulls - Heermann's, Western, California, Ring-billed with the odd Glaucous-winged (and hybrids) and American Herring. Surf Scoters, Buffleheads, Great Northern Divers and Pied-billed Grebes lined the harbour while stuff like Willet and Marbled Godwits paced up and down the shore. All good stuff for the other two, who had never visited the US before this trip. And for me to try my new camera and lens out...

Heermann's Gulls at Santa Barbara, California 15th February 2015

1st-winter Royal Tern at Santa Barbara, California 15th February 2015

Heading a few miles west, we stopped off at Goleta at my request. A request to see a Tufted Duck - which we dipped. Which serves me right. Nevertheless with a flock of Cedar Waxwings buzzing about, Bufflehead, Lesser Scaup, House Finch, Song and White-crowned Sparrows, Black Phoebe and Anna's Hummingbird note (as well as a few more gulls) it wasn't a totally wasted venture.

4th-winter Glaucous-winged Gull at Arroyo Grande, California 15th February 2015

An hour or so north, we stopped off briefly at Arroyo Grande where just a couple of Glaucous-winged Gulls (and loads of Red-winged Blackbirds) were seen before the fog ended things around Pismo Beach and Morro Bay; though a couple of Sea Otters in the river mouth at Morro Bay were typically obliging. And on the mammal theme, as we headed north to spend the night in Monterey, a stop off at the south end of Big Sur at Piedras Blancas Beach provided rather good views of some of the ugliest creatures in the world, Elephant Seals!

Elephant Seals at Piedras Blancas Beach, California 15th February 2015

Another decent day of gulling on the tip

After last weekend's huge numbers of gulls, this weekend it seemed it was back to normal with a reduction in the number of birds. The tip had also shifted position, making access a little trickier, with added 'disturbance' from the NTGG ringing team. That said, if I review what we actually saw, it wasn't a bad day at all.

One of the two juvenile Glaucous Gulls was present again; not putting on the performance like it did last weekend, with just a couple of brief appearances.

juvenile Glaucous Gull Essex 7th February 2015

It's bizarre that, for the last few visits, we've ended up on five Caspian Gulls. And today this happened again, and four of them were birds that hadn't been seen previously. Three first-winter birds, including a small bird that has been present since November, as well as a new second-winter and a sub-adult; the latter avoided any shots, but was a distinctive bird with immature feathering on the coverts and a dark mark in its gonys.

1st-winter Caspian Gull (bird 1) Essex 7th February 2015

1st-winter Caspian Gull (bird 2) Essex 7th February 2015

1st-winter Caspian Gull (bird 2) Essex 7th February 2015

2nd-winter Caspian Gull Essex 7th February 2015

2nd-winter Caspian Gull (same as above) Essex 7th February 2015

Early spring sees the influx of Mediterranean Gulls starting to happen, and after a couple on the last few visits, we were up to at least a handful today - many showing nicely black, mottled heads including a Polish ringed bird.

adult Mediterranean Gull Essex 7th February 2015. 'PLH8', presumably ringed in Poland - just awaiting confirmation of exactly where.

A couple of Yellow-legged Gulls were presumably birds seen previously, a second-winter and adult. And to round things off, the leucistic Norwegian-ringed Great Black-backed Gull put in an appearance. Despite concerted effort, ring reading was quite low suggesting a decent turnover of birds - a couple of Mike Marsh's Suffolk-ringed Herring Gulls and an adult Herring Gull from Montrose (that I'd seen previously at the tip back in December 2013) plus average numbers of North Thames ringed birds. This is my last tip visit until the end of the month, but between now and then I'll be seeing a lot of gulls during my half-term break that starts next weekend...

female Herring Gull Essex 7th February 2015. Ringed by Ben Herschell in his garden in Montrose, Angus in July 2013 and was also present on the tip in November and December 2013.

That Arctic gull

Iceland Gulls do not hybridise - those words are sacrosanct. Apparently.

presumed hybrid gull, Essex 31st Jan 2015

Last Saturday on the tip, an interesting gull was present. Having already seen a couple of hybrids up there this year, alongside at least three leucistic birds, it's second nature now to be skeptical about any gull identification being straightforward. And though there was a lot of conversation at the time about it being a Kumlien's Gull, its pale iris combined with its retarded plumage always made me feel very uneasy.

presumed hybrid gull, Essex 31st Jan 2015

Admittedly, it was a large bird - at least for an Iceland-type Gull. About the same size as your smaller end Herring Gull. With a long primary projection and with a comparatively short, tubby bill there were some elements of its jizz that pointed towards a glaucoides/kumlieni. Possibly. The off white primaries, pale tail and unbarred, hoary underwing-coverts suggested some white-winged gull influence. The breast and underparts were not quite as smooth as you'd expect on an Iceland Gull, suggesting perhaps some Herring Gull influence.

presumed hybrid gull, Essex 31st Jan 2015

So hopefully the few photos of the bird here give you an idea of what it felt like, and there are more (better) photos here too.

presumed hybrid gull, Essex 31st Jan 2015

So, in conclusion, I'd now offer the following: -
- it's probably got some Herring Gull ancestry
- it appears to fit a third calendar year bird, with the pale iris present on this age as well as the plain, moulted scapulars.
- the lean bill and deep pink legs mimic that of an Iceland Gull

Thanks to Rob I, Josh J and Niall K for the subsequent discussion; and of course to Steve A and Dave A who shared the observation. Hopefully it'll still be about this coming Saturday. Any further comments would be appreciated too...