Maine eBird Checklist S201336866
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Totals
Observations
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Number observed: 32
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Number observed: 7
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Number observed: 96
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Number observed: 2
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Mallard x American Black Duck (hybrid)
Number observed: 1Details
One drake hybrid was seen, this bird looking like a Mallard but with brown flanks, a broad green band mostly above eye and across face to neck. The bird showed dingy white or darker flecked outer rectrices and curled central tail feathers.
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Number observed: 1
Details
I did not study this bird closely but it looked like a female, though could have been a young male.
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Number observed: 3
Details
two hen-plumaged birds and a drake
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Number observed: 3
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Number observed: 3
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Number observed: 2
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Number observed: 2
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Number observed: 2
Details
adults foraging over open water outside breakwater in area where lobster boat was working
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Number observed: 1
Details
An adult without bands was seen roosting and preening among the Ring-billed Gulls. This bird was mostly likely nominate L. c. canus (European Common Gull) and unlikely to have been a Russian bird (heinei) given the dark eye, greenish-yellow bill, and wing pattern. But it did show solid black 'W' band across P5 and black marks on both webs of P4, characters more common in heinei. That said, the bird also showed faint dusky spots and streaks on most of its head, thus not particularly white headed. More details later, and if appropriate entry as nominate canus.
This bird was found 31 October by Evan Obercian. Another Common Gull with leg bands was seen yesterday and photographed by Magill Weber.
Notes added 11/3 by LRB:
This adult gull was slightly smaller than nearby Ring-billed Gulls and noticeably shorter-legged and with a more rounded, dove-shaped head. The mantle was slightly darker gray and best perceived in direct comparison when skies were overcast (most of the time today). Unlike the Ring-billed Gulls present, this bird's bill was slimmer and shorter and greenish at the base with a dusky partial band near tip about at gonys. This marking on the bill was broader and bolder on the mandible while a bit fainter on the maxilla. Beyond this band the bill tip was yellower than the base. The irides were dark (almost looking blackish in overcast light), and that contrasted sharply with the whitish eyes on the adult Ring-bills. The legs were more of a pale olive green versus the yellowish-green winter Ring-billed Gull legs. The head was subtly marked with faint dusky spots and short streaks (more so on crown and base of head at neck), and this pattern stood out compared with the coarse and heavy streaking on the basic plumage adult Ring-bills.
The bird spent most of its time preening, and a few times during those bouts, the bird spread its wings, which showed large white mirrors on the outer two primaries and that the black on those and P8 reached or nearly reached the gray primary coverts. There were bold white apical spots on P4-7 and smaller apical spots on P8-10, the outermost having the smallest white spot at primary tip. The secondaries were broadly tipped white, showing as a broad white trailing rear border to the open wing. The white tips to the inner primaries P1-3 were noticeably narrower. Photos show that this bird has a continuous 'W' black band across the subterminal part of P5 and small black marks on the outer part of both inner and outer webs near the tip of P4. Primaries 4-7 had white bands subtending the black tips and bordering the basal gray portions of those feathers. P8 lacked a subterminal white mirror and was black almost to the primary coverts; only the tip showed a white apical spot. The tertials were broadly tipped white, but this was only subtly wider than some Ring-bills. But because of the paler gray base on adult Ring-bills, their tertial crescent was not as prominent, with the gradation to gray a bit more blended, making determination of "tip" less easy.
The best reference for identification of Common and Short-billed Gulls is Adriaens and Gibbins (2016). They provide a dichotomous key to the various taxa, but this bird is difficult to reconcile with their key and descriptions of markings on adult birds. Because this bird has a broad and complete black band on P5, it would key to L. c. heinei. But several aspects of this bird do not fit that taxon: dusky spotting on head (though less than some nominate canus), solidly dark eye, distinct black band on bill, short black bayonet on outer web of P6, and gray at base of P8. It is possible, even likely, that there is broader variation than captured in their study and/or birds like this are intermediates. But if the latter, that would be odd and unexpected because birds from the range of heinei would be less likely to stray to North America.Media
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Number observed: 120
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Number observed: 12
Details
several juveniles, a few adults and other ages
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Number observed: 3
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Number observed: 1
Details
A juvenile was in the pond at the end of our visit
Media
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Number observed: 7
Details
in various stages of molt, some showing mostly alternate plumage and others in basic
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Number observed: 5
Details
I think all were adults
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Number observed: 1
Details
A juvenile spotted by Tova
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Number observed: 2
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Number observed: 4
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Number observed: 1
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Number observed: 1
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Number observed: 2
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Number observed: 3
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Number observed: 1
Details
counted in two sweeps