2cy Lesser Black-backed Gulls 2013!

27. May this year a 2cy LBBG sat on the pier on Langvannet. A 2cy LBBG in Oslo is in itself quite good! Little did I know that this would be an extraordinary year 2cy LBBG-wise on Langvannet. Three days later two 2cy LBBG sat side by side on the same pier (I have some crappy photos of both). Then it went silent (except one 11.6), and I went on holiday elsewhere. The first day on Langvannet after that was 15. July. It resulted in one new 2cy LBBG. Then they kept coming...

15.7: Ind 1, only seen this day

22.7: Ind 2, got colorring J435A and was last seen 19.9 

22.7: Ind 3, last seen 31.7

22.7: Ind 4, maybe the most interesting individual, last seen 26.8 

24.7: Ind 5, last seen 12.8

26.7: Ind 6, only seen this day

27.7: Ind 7, last seen 28.7

27.7: Ind 8, this or ind 13 hold out until 19.9

27.7: Ind 9, last seen 19.8

28.7: Ind 10, last seen 19.8

29.7: Ind 11, only seen on this day

31.7: Ind 12, a bird that looked like this was seen 20.8

7.8: Ind 13, very similar to ind 8! One of them was last seen 19.9

2.8: Ind 14, last seen 12.8

9.8: Ind 15, only seen this day

11.8: Ind 16, fuscus! (?) only seen a few minutes

11.8: Ind 17, only seen this day

11.8: Ind 18, last seen 14.8

12.8: Ind 19, ringed individual!
Probably ring in Fredrikstad some weeks earlier,
but ring impossible to read.

Well... 19 different photographed individuals after 15. July... By an inland lake with 100-200 gulls at the time. A full list of records from Langvannet this year can be found here. The best day was 11.8 with 8 different individuals the same day!

Elsewhere in Norway it has also been a lot of 2cy LBBG. I have seen one at Østensjøvannet, 7 side-by-side at Årnestangen, one at Øra, one in Middelalderparken, and finally one late individual at Mosvannet 12.10. I have personally seen about 30 2cy LBBG this year!

Where do these birds come from?
We don't know... Only one colorring that wasn't put on this year was read. It was ringed as 1cy on Oslo in september 2012. We don't know where it came from either... A 1cy LBBG on Langvannet a couple of days ago was ringed as young in Troms, which should indicate that 1cy autumn birds can come from everywhere...

Some 2cy birds doesn't look like classic intermedius either. Ind 16 and ind 4 are good examples of that. So maybe many of them are of eastern origin? Ind 4 may even look like a heuglini? More photos of it is anyway to be found here. Some of the birds also have 2 moult cycles going on in there wings (eg. 4), another weak sign of eastern origin... Maybe we will know something new in 10 or 20 years (or 2)....

31.8: Middelalderparken

03.8: Østensjøvannet

First for Norway: Philadelphia Vireo

No, this isn't about gulls. But this bird really need more attention!

On friday (6.) Jorunn Villand took some photos of a small warbler-like bird at Linnesstanda. She took some photos. There have been photos of it on Artsobservasjoner, but I will put out some edited and optimized photos that Jorunn sent me. This are all photos available of the bird.

In the photos on Artsobservasjoner the bird may be hard to identify with 100% certainty. Here on the other hand... (no problems in my mind). Head markings, dark-looking primary coverts, grey upperparts contrasting yellow underparts. This is the first for Norway if it gets accepted by NSKF.

If any one want to go look for it, it was seen by this parking lot:

Vis større kart

It sat in some single bushes before flying into the gardens. If I should guess it is still close by, in one of the hedges in one of the gardens in the area! Go look for it! (some have done so many times, but so far with negative result)

Download all original (as good as available at least) files here or here

Adult-looking 4cy Lesser Black-backed Gull

Langvannet, 24.05.2013

Same as above

Ringed as young in 2010 in southern Norway.

Herring Gull J2877

P8 hidden behind P9. 26.02.2011

Same bird 2 years later. 30.03.2013

This bird is interesting. Note how the marking on both P9 and P5 evolves. P9 shows a window 2 years later, and P5 shows extensive black markings. Sadly not a bird with known age.

wintering Lesser Black-backed Gull in Oslo

This winter a LBBG has wintered in Oslo. It was first seen in December, and have been seen a couple of times since that. I saw it again yesterday, and that made me blog this.

All photos above taken by me, 9. feb, on Aker Brygge. Yesterday it looked more or less similar, so no moult going on. The bird is a 2.winter. I have many times questioned it age, but that is mainly because I am used to 2.summer intermedius/graellsii with a lot of new feathers on the back and moult in primaries. From what I find on the internet it is quite normal for a 2.winter L.fuscus. The bird seems to have changed almost all feathers (most obvious: primaries, tail, secondaries, coverts) one time, and changed them with second generation feathers. Subspecie-wise it is a intermedius/graellsii, mainly because of moult cycle.

2.winter Herring Gull (possible Glaucous Gull hybrid)

Makkevika, Giske, Møre & Romsdal 21.02.2013