Not to pile on, but gulls gulls gulls

[okaugust]

I never ask for much help IDing gulls because I just feel bad about it. I have a huge mental block with them. I always think when people show me bird characteristics, it goes into my mental lists and helps me later, but I don't seem to retain a darn thing about gulls. The birds I'm fairly confident about, Heermann's, Ring-billed, Short-billed, Laughing, Franklin's, Bonaparte's and now Kittiwakes, and sort of kind of California, Western and Glaucous-winged (as long as they aren't teenager birds) I just look at these fields and beaches full of gulls, sigh, and give up most of the time. And to quote a friend in WY before I moved to OR, "just give up, they're all hybrids..." Sometimes I find one that has just great coloring or markings and think, "I can DO THIS! I'm going to go home, and pour over ID traits and figure this out!" Then I get home and give up again. I was even conjuring up if someone came up with a website where for $1 they would ID a gull for you, I would gladly pay it....because I am just not wired to learn the subtle nuances. Maybe when I retire.

So, apologies and thanks in advance but I snapped some shots and while they are probably mostly Olympic Gulls (Hybrid Glaucous-winged x Western Gulls), I couldn't take it anymore and had to ask.

1. Garibaldi Marina, Garibaldi, OR 12/11/2022

2. Garibaldi Marina, Garibaldi, OR 12/11/2022

3. Shipwreck Point, WA, off the Straight of Juan de Fuca 11/25/2022

 

4. Westport Marina Nov 5, 2022 - Short-billed Gull?

 

 

5. Ft Stevens State Park, OR, just east of the South Jetty, where the Pacific comes into the Columbia. Nov 21, 2022 (this guy likes my idea for a pay for ID website, as I just dreamed it up while looking at him.)

 

Edited December 12, 2022 by okaugust

[IKLland]

In my non-experienced opinion, yes to the Short-billed, and the rest are definitely Glaucous-winged/Western/Olympics. I don’t have experience with Olympic so I won’t comment further than that. 

[PaulK]

In my also inexperienced opinion, bird three looks good for straight glaucous-winged, the rest have primaries too dark to not be hybrids. (And I also think you're right about the short-billed.)

[IKLland]

4 minutes ago, PaulK said:

In my also inexperienced opinion, bird three looks good for straight glaucous-winged, the rest have primaries too dark to not be hybrids. (And I also think you're right about the short-billed.)

For some reason I forgot that the primary darkness was also important on Immatures/juveniles as well. I agree, the short-billed is a short-billed, and the rest are Olympic except for #3.

[okaugust]

Alas, it is as expected. Hybrids that all look the same and different. Sigh. Thanks all!

[okaugust]

Plus now I owe each of you $5......

[chipperatl]

And now I have Motley Crue in my head, but with new lyrics....

[okaugust]

Well, funny enough what goes through mine when I say that is...I went to college at the University of Oklahoma back from 1991-1996, and going up and down Sooner Rd to get to the OKC metro area, there was a tawdry bar and strip club along the way, and the sign always said "Girls, Girls, Girls! You bet we do!"

So now when I see gulls, miles and miles of gulls, I think..."Gulls, Gulls, Gulls, you bet we do....  😁

I have some more from other locations going farther back if anyone wants to keep playing?

Edited December 12, 2022 by okaugust

[Charlie Spencer]

I wish they all could be California Gulls.

[PaulK]

I frequently sing "gulls just wanna have fu-un, oh gulls just wanna have fun" 

[Peromyscus]

And there are songs by the British New Wave band A Flock Of Seagulls ...

[okaugust]

Or sometimes when I'm sitting in Seaside Cove eating Grizzly Tuna and munching on fries with some gull watching me from the hood of the car, I like to say "HEY, FLOCK OF SEAGULLS!"

11 hours ago, chipperatl said:

 

 

[okaugust]

Okay, you want more gulls? More gulls gulls gulls? I see you are folks who like good gulls.

1. 2017-11-12 Lake DeSmet, WY - this one got reviewed and bounced around a lot, and was determined to be unidentifiable, if you like a real puzzler.

2. 2020 07 25 Bowdoin NWR, MT

 

3. 2020 07 25 Bowdoin NWR, MT

4. 2020 03 20 Astoria River Walk, OR (probably more Olympics coming right up) 5. 2020 07 25 Bowdoin NWR, MT 6. 2021 03 20 Western Gull? Astoria River WA, OR 7. 2020 07 25 Bowdoin NWR, MT (sorry, it uploaded out of date order)   8. 2021 03 21 Astoria River Walk, OR 9. 2021 07 04 Tillamook Bay Barview Jetty OR (you might be able to tell, but my enthusiasm for gulls was falling apart by this time. 10. 2021 07 04 Tillamook Bay Barview Jetty OR 11. 2021 07 04 Garibaldi Marina OR 12. 2021 07 04 Garibaldi Marina, OR - great, this one is really different! Oh, it's probably a washed out Olympic... 13. 2021 07 05 Ft Stevens State Park, OR     If it helps, I just deleted about seven more that I figure are all Olympics. Sigh. Hey, have fun, and don't say I didn't get you anything for Christmas! This year...puzzling gulls for everyone!

[IKLland]

38 minutes ago, okaugust said:

6. 2021 03 20 Western Gull? Astoria River WA, OR

Yes. 

[okaugust]

That's a great start! 😆

Seriously though, thank you! I do appreciate it.

[Aidan B]

I'm not confident with all of these IDs, they're just my best guesses.

1. Larus spuh, maybe Lesser Black-backed Gull

2. Ring-billed

3. Ring-billed

4. Olympic

5. maybe California

6. Western

7. No clue, this one is a Puzzler!

8. Glaucous-winged

9. Olympic thing

10. Olympic

11. Probably pure Western

12. Unidentifiable

13. Olympic

[Charlie Spencer]

7 hours ago, okaugust said:

That's a great start! 😆

Seriously though, thank you! I do appreciate it.

A couple of suggestions. 

• Start a new post for more photos instead of adding them to an existing one.  This thread had reached the Silly Stage.  Many will assume new content will be funny stuff, not new birds, and may not open the topic.
• Include five or fewer images per post.  Too many makes it difficult to keep track of the comments on each photo. 

Thanks!

[okaugust]

Thanks sir. I just went with it. It's been fun anyway. 🙂