Sabine's Gull

A few weeks ago, one of my flickr friends, nsxbirder, discovered a rare gull in south east Ohio! Looking for a new adventure, I decided to drive up there on Oct. 22, 2011.

The Sabine’s Gull is a small gull, discovered by Sir Edward Sabine, an explorer & astronomer, while on an arctic expedition in 1818. This bird breeds along the northern coast of Alaska. They are also known to nest in Greenland, Norway & even Russia. So you can see why this gull is such a rare sighting in South east Ohio! Here is a link to an awesome map, courtesy of natureserve.org that shows the normal migratory pattern of this gull to South America.

They have a black, white & gray triangular pattern on their wings, apparent in flight, that helps give a definitive ID.

This particular visiting gull is a juvenile. The adult breeding Sabine’s Gull has a charcoal-gray hood ringed with a thin black line at the base. They are also only one of two gull species with a yellow-tipped, black bill & a notched tail. Click here to see further information about Sabine’s Gull on Whatbird.com

While visiting East Fork State Park, I also got to observe several other gull species, including, Bonaparte’s, Ring-billed, and Laughing gull. Another birder mentioned that there were two loons out in the middle of the lake, but they were too far for me to get a good look.

Bonaparte's Gull

Juvenile Ring-Billed and Adult Laughing Gull

Juvenile Laughing Gull

Adult Ring-Billed Gull

Posted in: Bonaparte's Gull,East Fork State Park,Laughing Gull,Ring-Billed Gull,Sabine's Gull