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***Rare: a rarity for Massachusetts, and a mega rarity for the USA Lower 48. Impressive history of records at this location, as the subspecies is native to far eastern Russia. There have also been additional sightings of this subspecies across the Northeastern United States and into eastern Canada, though not elsewhere in the mainland United States. Clearly, this subspecies has a very peculiar pattern of vagrancy, but one that is well-established with many individuals over many years occurring in this region of North America. Below are notes from today, a summary of sightings in Lynn since 2009, and a summary of vagrancy patterns globally for this subspecies. Notes from today: Continuing bird, initially found this winter by Sue Sull on Friday, January 26, and subsequently refound by Nathan Dubrow and Miles Brengle this afternoon. Most easily viewed from Nahant Ave. Ramp in Lynn, on the ball fields. Primarily observed in the puddle at the back corner, and occasionally preening in the field. Provided clear, close views with scope. Photos and videos attached. At the ball field, it is frequently seen in the large puddle at the corner nearest to the boat ramp and parking area. Some distinguishing characteristics observed in the field (in addition to typical identifying features): • Mantle darker, but not significantly so to stand out during a quick scan or brief glance among 80+ ring-billed and other gulls • Thicker tertial crescent on the closed wing compared to Ring-billed Gulls. • Mantle color on wings slightly darker than on the back (towards the base of the neck). • Head size slightly larger than that of Ring-billed Gulls. • Bill distinctly different, lacks black ring, and is slightly larger. • Slightly larger than ring-billed, with a different shape, especially when sitting in water, appearing more attenuated. Sue Sull's checklist from last Friday, including open-wing shots supporting L. c. kamtschatschensis identification for this bird: https://ebird.org/checklist/S159896532 Aiden Kiley (Fairfield, Connecticut) concisely noted the field marks on this bird consistent with L. c. kamtschatschensis: "Dark mantle, wide white tertial crescent, greenish legs, heavy bill, dark but not black iris, p9 mirror much smaller than p10 mirror (about 50% of the size of p10’s), overall bulk, and black on p4 are all spot on for Kamchatka. If I remember correctly any black on p4 rules out something like 90% of canus." History of Kamchatka Gull around Lynn, Massachusetts: Kamchatka Gull has been recorded in this local area in the following winters (via eBird): • 2009 • (Not in 2010) • 2011 • (Not in 2012) • 2013 • (Not in 2014) • (Not in 2015) • 2015 • (Not in 2016) • (Not in 2017) • 2018 • 2019 • 2020 • (Not in 2021) • (Not in 2022) • 2023 The highest number of observations were in 2015 and 2020, with many birders sighting this subspecies, and possibly this same bird. Note that some comments by Sue Sull suggest there are multiple birds that have visited Massachusetts across these records, and this bird is not the same as the most recent previous record. The subspecies is typically found in late January or early February, based on past records. Very few records exist for December or earlier in the winter, predominantly occurring later in the winter. The latest record is mid-March. All according to eBird, here. Descriptions of the subspecific identification at this location are available at these links: • By Sue Sull from previous years: https://ebird.org/checklist/S22135279 • By the late Tom Johnson: https://ebird.org/checklist/S22165220 In at least one instance over the years, a Kamchatka Gull was observed alongside non-Kamchatka Common Gulls (previously known as Mew Gulls), providing an excellent opportunity for subspecific comparison. Information on the first Kamchatka Gull record for Massachusetts is available in Bird Observer Volume 37, Issue Number 2, April 2009, on page 92: https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/bo37-2-web.pdf Broader context for Kamchatka Gull vagrancy: Common Gull, at the species level, though common across Eurasia, is a very rare bird in North America. If any subspecies were to be expected in the eastern United States, it would be the European Common Gull (Larus canus canus), which can be found across western Europe, with an established group in Iceland. The Kamchatka subspecies (Larus canus kamtschatschensis) is especially surprising, then. Kamchatka refers to the Kamchatka peninsula in far eastern Russia, which is one of the largest peninsulas in the world, with a similar area measurement as New Zealand. Kamchatka has one of the lowest population densities in the world, less than a person per square kilometer, and has the highest density of volcanoes and associated volcanic activity in the world, with 130 volcanoes, 29 of which are still active today. Other records of Kamchatka Gull on the east coast of North America include: Delaware, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Connecticut, Nova Scotia, Quebec, and Newfoundland (according to eBird). Alaska has the most records in the United States, with the Northeast United States likely having more than mainland Alaska. There are also a few records from Midway Atoll and Hawaii. The southernmost records are from Thailand and the Philippines, with the Thailand record being the westernmost relative to Kamchatka. All according to eBird, here. Helpful information by David Sibley: David Sibley provides an excellent summary on the status and field marks for Kamchatka Gull on his website, available at this link: https://www.sibleyguides.com/2021/07/mew-gull-is-now-two-species-how-to-identify-common-gull-and-short-billed-gull/ Quoting Sibley: "This subspecies of Common Gull nests in eastern Siberia and Kamchatka. It is a rare but regular visitor to far western Alaska around the Bering Straits, and somewhat surprisingly has turned up repeatedly in recent years in the northeastern US and eastern Canada with well documented records in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and more. Clearly it should be watched for elsewhere across the continent... The largest subspecies and relatively dark above, but otherwise intermediate in many ways between Short-billed Gull and Common Gull." See Sibley's post for more specifics on this complex identification. A final note: Another gull native to the same region as Kamchatka Gull and also with impressive vagrancy patterns including in the US is Slaty-backed Gull. Slaty-backed Gull, though, has been seen across the lower 48 of the US in far more states than Kamchatka Gull. Across the country, Slaty-backed Gull has about 5x more observations than Common Gull, but in Massachusetts the opposite is true, with Common Gull records outnumbering Slaty-backed Gull by 5x. Not all records of Common Gull in Massachusetts are Kamchatka Gulls, though; a substantial portion are European Common Gulls. It's interesting to me that, in Massachusetts, I think a Slaty-backed Gull would draw much more attention and a much larger crowd of viewers than a Kamchatka Common Gull.
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