Gulls, Terns and Skimmers

Heerman's Gull - Sandheads, BC Around the more open salt water in Vancouver we will see Heerman's gulls in the fall. These birds will spread out after breeding season and journey north just about as far as the Salish Sea inside of Vancouver Island. The are told by their overall gray appearance and red and black bills. In the summer months, they have striking white heads that blend into their grey bodies. Another fun fact is that 95% of the worlds population of these birds nest on one island in the Gulf of California. Michael W Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com 2022
Heerman's Gull - Sandheads, BC
Franklin's Gull - Oak Bluffs, MB I used to associate gulls with the coast but that is typically only winter. In the fall these Franklin Gulls lose their black heads and start wearing this dusky hood as their non-breeding plumage. The majority of birds nest in the northern Prairies of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba and then head south to the coast of Chile to winter. They will move in very large flocks picking through fields looking for insects and worms after the soil has been tilled or the grain is cut like this scene. Michael W Klotz 2021 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
Franklin's Gull - Oak Bluffs, MB
Glaucous-winged x Herring gull - White Rock, BCPicture
Glaucous-winged x Herring gull - White Rock, BC
Franklin's Gull - White Rock Pier, BC A gull that we don't see often here is this Franklin's gull. There might be 1 or two sightings a year for this black-headed bloke as they typically use the central flyway to head to South America for the winter months. The winter has this gull with a bit of a black and white head, but one of the heavy white broken eye-ring this birds sports. This was on an anchovy spawn just off the White Rock Pier. Michael W Klotz 2021 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
Franklin's Gull - White Rock Pier, BC
Bonaparte's Gull - White Rock Pier, BC A dramatic difference between breeding and winter plumage makes this gull a little harder to identify in the winter. This small gull has a black and white transformation turning its head fully black in the warmer weather months and will move inland and north from Vancouver waters to breed. There was a flock of these birds feeding on large shoals of small bait fish off the White Rock pier. Michael W Klotz 2021 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
Bonaparte's Gull - White Rock Pier, BC
Glaucous-winged Gull - Richardson Port Terminal, BC Ill bet your thinking
Glaucous-winged Gull - Richardson Port Terminal, BC
Sabine's Gull - Pincher Crossing, AB During a business trip with my partner, I told him I was going to drag him along on a couple of birding walks while we were in Alberta. Turns out a Sabine's Gull was seen at the ponds just outside of Pincher Crossing so that is where we headed. We got to the ponds and there were 10,000 birds there in various stages of migration including a good amount of gulls. Adam walks up to the edge and says,
Sabine's Gull - Pincher Station, AB
Bonaparte's Gull - Spanish Banks, BC In the late spring, the Bonaparte's gulls start there transformation into breeding colors which is the black head and the broken white eye-ring. This pair were calling to each other confirming their bond before heading to the interior to breed on a fresh water lake. I find the red inside their mouth interesting as its very similar to another bird in a different family but close to the same waters, the Pigeon Guillemot. Michael W Klotz 2021 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Boneparte's Gulls - Spanish Banks, BC
Bonaparte's Gull - English Bay, BC I have always loved black-headed gulls including our winter resident, the Bonaparte's Gull. This is one of the smaller gulls we have here with only the Mew Gull as competition as the smallest gull. This photo was taken off Kits Beach in Vancouver, BC where several of these gulls will congregate in loose flocks to search the water surface for floating goodies. During the summer months, these birds fly north to the prairies and boreal forests to the pothole lakes of Alaska all the way east to Hudson's Bay. Michael W Klotz 2021 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Bonaparte's Gull - English Bay, BC
Caspian Tern - Tsawwassen Ferry Jetty, BC Our resident summer tern is a noisy bird that is usually heard and then seen. They are usually found around the areas that have calm waters to fish from the air. This particular bird was hunting the south edge of the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal diving down occasionally to come up empty-handed on several tries. They have much thinner wings that the larger gulls which allow them to be much more acrobatic in their dives. Michael W Klotz 2020 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Caspian Tern - Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal, BC
Bonaparte's Gull - Tsawwassen, BC Along a section of the Tsawwassen ferry jetty there is a favorite roosting location for gulls. Every once in a while you can find an unusual species. The Bonaparte's gull is a visitor along the coast in the spring and fall and is usually sporting the black spot behind the eye. In the summer these birds have a striking black head. They are also told by their small size and very black primaries (flight feathers). Michael W Klotz 2019 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Bonaparte's Gull - Tsawwassen, BC
Herring Gull - Tofino, BC There are three common gulls off the coast of Vancouver Island during the late spring and the one that seeming was most common on this day were the Herring Gulls. We were some distance of the coast on the shelf following a fishing vessel who were fishing for rock fish. We were on a tour out of Tofino with Ocean Outfitters. Most of the birds were following the boat as the unmarketable parts of the fish were being thrown overboard. This gull seem to think our boat might give up some morsels but to no avail. Michael W Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
Herring Gull - Tofino, BC
Mew Gull - Tsawwassen, BC One of Vancouver's smallest resident winter gulls is the Mew Gull. They are relatively easy to spot given their size and the very petite look that they have. Mew Gulls are found on the coast shoreline as well as some smaller numbers just inland in fields and freshwater beaches with other gulls. Most white-headed gulls in the winter get a dirty head when they molt into their winter plumage which is funny given the black-headed gulls end up with a dirty white head in the winter. Michael W Klotz 2019 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Mew Gull - Tsawwassen, BC
Ring-billed Gull - Blackie Spit, BC I really love split rail fences and when you add a little lichen and bird, they are a piece of art. This is a Ring-billed gull on Blackie Spit in Crescent Beach, a quaint little community that reminds me of a beach side town in California like S.L.O. Ringbills are one of the most common here in the winter only being beaten out by Glaucous-winged gulls. Michael W Klotz 2021 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
Ring-billed Gull - Blackie Spit, BC
Forster's Terns - Huntington Beach, CA One of the best parts about Bolsa Chica is the photo ops that the Forster's terns give a photographer. When the breeze is right, which is often, the birds fly at the height of the boardwalk and stop to see if the fish they caught a glimpse of is going to stay put long enough for them to try a dive. They hang for the 2 or 3 seconds, giving just enough time to grab that in-flight photo. Its not always that easy, for which I have 500 other photos to prove the user error. Some of the pics are blurry, some are just wings on the bottom of the frame and lots are of a blurry water surface with no bird at all because by the time you move to click the shutter, they are long gone. Lots of the latter pics. Michael W Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
Forster's Tern - Huntington Beach, CA
Black Skimmer - Huntington Beach, CA This very unusual beak is attached to one of three Skimmers in the world. The bird has a very unique way of fishing that no other bird has. It skims the surface of the water putting it's lower half of its beak in the water. When a fish comes into contact with the beak, it snaps shut holding the fish sturdy within its grasp later, eating the meal. Michael W Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
Black Skimmer - Huntington Beach, CA
Least Terns - Huntington Beach, CA There is a section of beach that is made safe for the smallest tern in North America. They have declined 88% in the last 50 years and mostly because the nesting habitat has become non existent as we prize the flat sandy beaches for ourselves. It is very nice to see a thriving population here at Bolsa Chica. The bird in the foreground is a parent trying to lure its offspring into the air. They chirp at the young bird and then take to the wing, all the while, calling for them to follow into the air. Michael W Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Least Terns - Huntington Beach, CA
Heermann's gull - Point Wells, WA During an excursion to see a Swallow-tailed gull, one of the rarest birds to make it to the Washington Coast, I was able to capture a couple of birds I dont usually see. This Heermann's gull is in fall molt but in full breeding plumage they are a striking bird. The red beak and the white head set it apart from any other gull in North America. There were over thirty of these birds resting on the pier at Point Wells. These bird breed in Mexico and make their way north along the coast. Michael Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
Heermann's Gull - Point Wells, WA
Common Tern - Richmond My daughter and dog were out on Iona South Jetty, near the Vancouver airport, in search of shorebirds and on the way back we came across this little guy. Common terns migrate through our area but are seen infrequently. They are a great deal smaller, not to mention quieter, than our regular summer residents, the Caspian terns. Common terns can be found world wide, but the birds that we see here on the west coast most likely breed in Alberta or the North West Territories. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Tern/id This particular bird is already in non breeding plumage which is different from a couple items like the cap is complete to the beak and the gray mantle is solid. The time of day this bird was looking for a roost was perfect as we were into the long light and he seemed to be content to be the perfect subject for 5 minutes. Michael Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Common Tern - Richmond, BC
Laughing Gull - Goose Island, TX The breeding plumage of the black-headed gulls is so much more interesting when you throw in the red bill and the broken white eye-ring. This birds were hanging around pier at goose island. Michael Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
Laughing Gull - Goose Island, TX
Brown Creeper - Ladner, BC This little bird is typically on the move and mostly in the shade, so is typically not a great subject for bird photographers. This day turned out to be the just the opposite as we walked through the Reifel Bird Sanctuary on a Sunny January day. The warmth of the sun was just too much to resist and parked himself on one of the pines along the east dyke. Brown creepers are tough to see on the trunks of the trees that they feed on, but one way is to get a good look at them is to catch them flying down to the base of the trunk of the next feeder tree as they almost always feed going up the trunk. Michael W Klotz 2020 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
California Gull - Esquimalt Lagoon, BC
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Ring-billed Gull - McGuire Lake Park, BC
Fishing intently at the outflow of the Bolsa Chica Reserve in Orange County, California. He was so intent that he was only feet away from the path and was not bothered by anyone's presence. Michael Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
Forster's Tern - Huntington Beach, CA
Glaucous-winged Gull, Richmond, Picture
Glaucous-winged Gull - Richmond, BC
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Ring-billed Gulls - Blackie Spit, BC