This has been a long time coming, and at last, it’s here! Dr. Julie Ellis and her gull research project have entered the blogosphere. Julie has been banding gulls since 2004 (see “The Research” tab above) and she relies on members of the public to report sightings of banded gulls. Until now, those reports went into her research database, but it was difficult for everyone to view the sightings and the photos that sometimes accompany them. Now, everyone who reports a sighting, and anyone interested in the research, can come here to check out the latest banded gull news. Many of you readers may be SEANET volunteers, and those of you who already read the SEANET blog need only check there for news; we will let you know when there’s band news and send you over here to this blog.
So here’s the inaugural re-sighting post:
Dennis Minsky of Provincetown, Massachusetts wrote last week to say, “At Herring Cove Beach yesterday (10/7/09) a subadult (first winter?) GBBG, service band on the right leg, black band on the left reading “8F6″: yours?”
Great Black-Backed Gulls sport black, field-readable bands like this one. Herring Gull bands are green.
Indeed, this is one of Dr. Ellis’ birds, and she had this additional info to offer on what is fast becoming a banded dynasty of Great Black-Backeds: “This IS one of “my” gulls – thanks so much for the report! We banded this bird as a chick on Appledore Island, Maine on July 10, 2009. Its sibling was also banded (“3F7”) this summer. The parents of these two chicks had been banded as adults in previous years. One parent, “3E1,” was banded in May of 2007; the other, “9C2,” was banded as an adult in May of 2006! So, this is a well-banded family.”
The Gulls Of Appledore 
I recently observed a herring gull with a large round orange-red wing marker visible on both sides of the wing (It looked sandwich-like, visible on both the outer and inner sides of the wing. The marker looked like it was about two inches across. Unfortunately, I only was able to view the bird for about 20-25 seconds. It was with about 700 gulls (95+% herring gulls of which about 95% were young-of-the-year birds. The marker was on the right wing and was quite conspicuous. The birds were flushed several times and were part of a group of about 2,000 associated with a salmon aquaculture facility in Cutler, Maine.
Do you have any idea of where the bird was marked? I am not certain of the age. It was not a first winter bird. I was distracted by a second winter herring X glaucous gull hybrid.
Thanks for any information you can provide.
Norm Famous
Hi Norm! This sounds like a gull that was tagged as part of a project by the Massachusetts Dept of Conservation and Recreation. Try contacting Dan Clark (Dan.Clark@state.ma.us). If it is part of their project, it as originally banded in Massachusetts. Thanks for the report and let me know if you find any other banded gulls!
Best wishes, julie
Hello; I also have just spotted a ring billed gull with two bright orange tags on each wing. He is now in Dunnville, a town close to lake Erie, in southern Ontario, Ca. March 15/2010.
Shirley
Hello; I have just spotted a ring-billed gull with bright orange tags on each wing. He is now in Dunnville Ontario, close to Lake Erie.
Shirley
March 15/2010