MA - LITTLE GULL in Gill

Little Gull - adult with Ring-billed Gulls, Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. April 11th, 2018.

A quick stop at Barton Cove this morning produced a lovely adult Little Gull, my third for this particular site but still exceptional in the Pioneer Valley overall. The day had dawned cold and frosty but soon warmed up into a lovely early spring morning - so nice in fact that the day seemed to offer little in terms of the potential for new arrivals. But I like surprises, and Barton Cove is always worth a check in spring migration. The bird was distant for the most part, associating with a handful on Ring-billed Gulls but still present when I left at 11:00 hours despite being flushed a couple of times by Bald Eagles.

Little Gull - adult with Ring-billed Gulls, Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. April 11th, 2018.

Update: At 15:00 hours I returned to the boat ramp hopeful of improving my views and photos, but the bird appeared to have moved on. As far as I know, Eric Huston was the last to report it around 14:10 hours. But the return visit did produce a couple of migrant Ospreys, my first of the year in Franklin County, one of which was calling overhead.

Ospreys - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. April 11th, 2018.

The Little Gull at Barton Cove was my first there in spring, the previous two records being in late fall/early winter on November 20th, 2016 (first-winter) and December 21st, 2008 (adult).

MA - LITTLE GULL in Turner's Falls

Little Gull - juv/first-winter, Unity Park, Turner's Falls. Franklin Co., MA. November 20th, 2016.

A late afternoon reward for sticking around on a cold, blustery Sunday afternoon. Little Gull is an ABA Code 3 species. 

As with the previous Sunday (a day that produced a Mountain Bluebird in Turner's Falls) I had no specific plans for local birding today. Other than a female goldeneye sp. that may have been a Barrow's and a first-year male Lesser Scaup, incidental birding opportunities at Turner's Falls had produced relatively little. Indeed, the overall atmosphere was that of a quiet day and, as I closed my day in the fading light at Unity Park, my expectations were relatively low. As the weather worsened, I noticed several large gulls arriving high from the north-east. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a small gull appeared high over the Gill side of the river. As it approached the assembled Ring-billed Gulls I had my first taste of the identification as a brief  dorsal view showed a thick black 'M' on the upperside contrasting with an especially white rump and tail, and a very neat black band at the tip of the tail - "Little Gull!". I watched and photographed transfixed, trying not to loose track as it careened about the sky on the squally north-westerlies. It showed some interest in joining the Ring-billed Gulls before moving off high to the south-east after which I lost it. The Little Gull hadn't returned by the time I left. At the time, the observation seemed quite long but my camera details show that bird was in view for just two minutes between 16:11 and 16:13 hrs. 

Little Gulls are not too difficult to see in very small numbers in coastal Massachusetts, Outer Cape Cod being especially good for them at the moment. However, they are exceedingly rare in the interior and I'm only aware of three other records prior to this sighting. They include two spring records from Berkshire County and one from Gill, Franklin County. The latter bird was an adult that I found during an extreme Nor'easter on December 21st, 2008; http://pioneerbirding.blogspot.com/2008/12/little-gull-turners-falls-1221.html

LITTLE GULL, Turner's Falls - 12/21

Little Gull - non-breeding adult in snow storm, Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin County. Dec 21st. The rosy suffusion on the underparts was apparent in the field, but I am surprised that the camera picked up the color tone in awful visibility.


Although I saw the bird in flight a couple of times, this was the best that I could come up with for an underwing shot. It does, however, show the uniformly dark smoky-gray underwings and rather rounded wing tips, typical of adult Little Gull.






Interesting size comparison between Little Gull and other species of gull. The two birds to the left of the Little Gull are Ring-billed Gulls!

Again, a nice size comparison betweem Ring-billed (left) and American Herring Gulls (rear and right).

Winter storms bringing almost continuous snow since noon on Friday, really had me itching me to get out and check the gulls at Turner's Falls late this afternoon. Conditions were horrendous on the roads getting out there and visibility appalling once I'd arrived. Fortunately, the handful of gulls present and roosting on the ice were very close to the road on Riverview Drive on the Gill side of the river. I'd expected to see more birds. There were probably less than 100 gulls present, but the highlight came as a complete surprise - an adult Little Gull! The record shots are the best that I could get in the blizzard and fading light. Having made just one call to Scott Surner, the 'grapevine' seemed to work well and allow Mark Fairbrother to get out and see the bird before darkness set in.

Although not a state rarity, it would appear that Little Gulls are absolutely exceptional in interior Massachusetts. I can only find one inland record, a second-cycle bird at Lake Onota, Pittsfield, Berkshire County, April 20th - 21st, 1946 (Griscom).

I'd certainly be interested to know of any other reports from interior MA or any records along the Connecticut River Valley?