REPORT FORM
1. English and Scientific names: Little Gull Hydrocoloeus
minutus
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2. Number of individuals, sexes, ages, general plumage (e.g., 2 in alternate plumage): 1 first winter |
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3. Locality: Cameron Parish |
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Specific Locality: from beach at community of Holly Beach to about 2 miles west of community |
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4. Date(s) when observed: April 5, 2014 |
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5. Time(s) of day when observed: from about 7:30 to perhaps 10:30 a.m. |
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6. Reporting observer and address: Paul Conover, Lafayette, LA |
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7. Other observers accompanying reporter who also identified the bird(s): |
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8. Other observers who independently identified the bird(s): |
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9. Light conditions (position of bird in relation to shade and to direction and amount of light): overcast early morning to weak sunlight |
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10. Optical equipment (type, power, condition): Zeiss 10s, Nikon Fieldscope 20-60, Samsung Galaxy 4S cellphone video, a few photos using Nikon D50 and 30 mm lens |
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11. Distance to bird(s): Perhaps 30 yards at closest, mostly at several hundred yards |
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12. Duration of observation: probably about 15 minutes of viewing |
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13. Habitat: Gulf Beach |
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14. Behavior of bird / circumstances of observation: The bird was first seen in the very early morning in a small flock of Laughing, Ring-billed, and Bonaparte’s Gulls, as well as Forster’s and Common Terns. It spooked after a few seconds when a walker approached, as I raced to get a photo. It didn’t return within the 20 minutes I was in the general area. I was afraid it might have left the area for good, and because I thought my photos might be unrecognizable, I prepared a sketch. I went west down the beach and sighted a flock that contained a Little Gull about 2 miles west of the original sighting, got a little video, and watched as this flock spooked (all of the flocks along the beach were flushing every few minutes due to disturbances I couldn’t detect). The bird didn’t return with the stub of the flock. About an hour later I returned the community and found that the flock had returned in greater numbers, close to a thousand birds. The flock was composed of several hundred Forster’s, a small handful of Common, and small groups of Royal terns, and all of the gull species listed above. A/the Little Gull was present in the flock as well. The flock continued to flush, mill about, then return to the beach. I waited until the flock was in the air, drove slowly toward it, and let the birds settle around me. The Little Gull landed close to me and allowed me to adequately document it. Images from the two areas where the bird was seen seem to match, indicating only one bird was present. The bird was seen among Bonaparte’s Gulls and among terns, not seeming to show any preference or aversion to placement within the flock. It did “attack” a Forster’s or Common Tern at one point, running a short distance and trying to bite it, at which point the tern flew. The tern simply appeared to be preening prior to the confrontation. |
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15. Description (include only what was actually seen, not what "should" have been seen; include if possible: total length/relative size compared to other familiar species, body bulk, shape, proportions, bill, eye, leg, and plumage characteristics. Stress features that separate it from similar species): A petite gull with plover-like bill shape, smaller than Bonaparte’s Gull and perched Forster’s Tern, largely pale gray above and white below, but with a broad black area extending from the shoulder to the wingtips on the perched bird. Mantle pale pearly gray, breast, belly, and underwings bright white. Ground color of head white. Dark ear spot behind and below eye. Ear spot only slightly larger than the eye, and about the same shape as eye but rotated about 90 degrees CCW. Distance from rear corner of eye to eyespot about equal to distance from front corner of eye to bill gape. Forehead and forecrown white. Dusky patch on mid- and hind-crown, with concave leading edge, and with the front corners of the patch extending forward about the front of the eye. The shade of the patch seemed to vary depending on angle of light, from pale gray to pale blackish. Eye dark, with pale dusky shading narrowly around front half of eye. Bill black, thin and somewhat Pluvialis plover-like; bill with slight gonydeal angle, nares about ½ of the way down the length, and with pinkish or pinkish-red mouth lining. Overall effect of wings a black M-mark broken in the middle by the pale mantle. Upperwings patterned white, black, and gray. Inner wing with broad diagonal black band composed of all median coverts and the lesser coverts of the mid-wing, contrasting with dusky-marked pale gray lesser coverts of the inner wing and with bright white greater secondary coverts. Outer wing with all coverts blackish and dark outer primaries contrasting with paler window of inner primaries. Secondaries and inner primaries pale dusky. Outer primaries strongly marked with black outer webs, worn white inner webs, with dark hooks onto inner webs of at least outer 5 primaries creating a black trailing edge visible on underwing tips. Tail seemed shallowly forked, white with narrow black terminal or subterminal band thickest in middle. Legs and webbed feet pale clear pink. |
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16. Voice: I didn’t hear it, and I can’t recall seeing it call. |
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17. Similar species (include how they were eliminated by your observation): Smaller than Bonaparte’s, and with dark rather than pale outer primaries, more dark on median coverts on perched and spread wing. Smaller than kittiwakes. Longer bill and with different tail shape than Ross’s Gull. |
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18. Photographs or tape recordings obtained? (by whom? attached?): cellphone digiscoped video by me, plus a few stills. |
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19. Previous experience with this species: Not a lot. I’ve probably seen about 3 or 4 over the past 20 years.
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20. This description is written from mental notes during observation, but mainly from study of video and photos as it was difficult to document and view at the same time. I never got to watch the bird in flight as it would get lost in the cloud of flushed birds, so I needed to look at photos for a better idea of wing and tail pattern. |
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21. Are you positive of your identification if not, explain: Yes. |
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22. Date: 4/06/2014 |
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