We spotted this Heermann's Gull (Larus heermanni) on Salmon Creek Beach yesterday, 21 May 2016. It caught my eye because this is early for Heermann's Gulls to appear along the Sonoma Coast. Most don't arrive until mid-late June (after nesting in the Gulf of California).
P.S. For more pictures of this handsome gull, review the post from 5 July 2012.
9 comments:
Gulf of Mexico?
Are you asking about where Heermann's Gulls nest?
Most of the world's Heermann's Gulls (90-95%) nest on one island (Isla Raza) in the Gulf of Mexico.
Wow, I checked the Cornell site and it showed them closer to the Gulf of California. Checking further, it appears that Isla Rasa or Raza is in the gulf of California.
Well, this is embarrassing! No one caught that mistake in 2012...and then I just copied/pasted the information from my older post. I didn't even process that I had made that mistake = switching "Gulf of Mexico" for "Gulf of California". Long story -- it's been a stressful few years for me, so I'm probably not always 100% focused (and I often do these posts at night, which is not my best time). It's hard to believe that that one slipped through! Thank you so much for catching my mistake and letting me know about it. I've corrected it in both places.
Your posts lower my stress level. I look for them every day. It's gratifying that someone is so interested in the world that she is willing to post details so often. Thank you so much for what you do. I'm only anonymous because I didn't know what else to click.
Hi Jackie - One lonely Heermann's gull has been hanging out on Stinson with the usual Westerns and CAGUs with a few Glaucous-Winged thrown in for good measure. Two weeks ago there was a solitary Caspian tern with them & I saw another one on North Salmon Creek a day later. Mid-May seems early for them as well.
Hi, Al!
Thanks so much for your comments. The NHBH blog lowers my stress levels, too! :)
Hi, Hollis,
Has the Heermann's Gull at Stinson Beach been there for a while? Or did it appear recently?
:) Jackie
Within the last 10 days at most. I first noticed him/her on Monday but hadn't been out there since Wednesday when I'd been paying attention to the Glaucous-Winged who've been here over the last few weeks as well as the pretty fresh-looking mosaic plumage of young CA and westerns so I could have missed him then. Huge numbers of mole crabs have washed back in so there's a banquet waiting for the rest of them when they arrive. The crows have been digging and feasting :-)
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