A Franklin's Gull made an appearance at Bonita Beach last year and this week, my first and second attempt to find it was unsuccessful but the third time was a charm - and interestingly enough we saw three of them this morning, what a sight!
The Franklin's Gull is uncommon on beaches and it's quite a treat to find it, it is common on Great Plains - it winters on west coast of South America. It is very rare in winter in southern CA and Gulf Coast. So, with much further ado....I present you the Franklin's Gull.
 |
| Very similar to the Laughing Gull but smaller in size, in bill, in legs and shorter wings. |
 |
| Being along the coast we were surrounded by the Black Skimmers and Sanderlings. |
 |
| Here's Franklin next to a Royal Tern. |
 |
| More flights - taking off and/or landing - |
 |
| The Franklin did some of that too. |
 |
| First year birds have clean white underwing with limited black tips on primaries and very neat and contrasting partial hood. |
 |
| A Franklin with a Laughing Gull - here the size difference is obvious. |
 |
| While it stretched its wing the all-white outer tail feathers were obvious. |
 |
| Pretty amazing, hey? My E-Bird List for this morning. |
Superb shots of this rare species, France! Wonderful documentation.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I love it when I am expose to a specie that is not too familiar to me and especially when I can compare it visually with another - the differences then really jumps out. Birding provides so much learning opportunities and I can't wait for my next lesson.
ReplyDelete