MA - gulls at Turner's Falls: Feb, second week.

Kumlien's Iceland Gulls ( 3 first-cycle) - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. February 15th, 2017.

It's been another productive week for gull watching at Turner's Falls with good numbers of birds turning up on either side of a major winter storm event on the 12th/13th. Glaucous Gulls were notably absent in what seems to be a relatively poor winter for that species locally. However, Kumlien's Iceland Gulls continued in good numbers throughout with 4 - 6 present on each day that I checked including the first adult of the winter on the 13th-14th. The adult Lesser Black-backed Gull remained throughout but was joined by a third-cycle bird on the 10th -11th and up to two first-cycle birds, also on 10th -11th. Brian Kane and I also observed a first-cycle Nelson's Gull (Glaucous x Herring hybrid) on the 11th, the first such hybrid that we've seen this winter. With Barton Cove being completely frozen most of the gulls have been using the power canal where up to 4 Ring-necked Ducks and a Greater Scaup continue, all of them drakes.

Kumlien's Iceland Gulls (first-cycle) - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. February 13th, 2017.

Kumlien's Iceland Gull (adult) - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. February 13th -14th, 2017.

Lesser Black-backed Gull ( third-cycle) - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. February 11th, 2017.

Lesser Black-backed Gull (first-cycle) - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. February 11th, 2017.

Center bird in all images above.

Lesser Black-backed Gulls (third-cycle, left, first-cycle upper middle) with Kumlien's Iceland Gull (first-cycle) -Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. February 11th, 2017.