Bird of the Week – Bonaparte’s Gull
A couple of folks asked what WC meant by saying gulls had lots of different plumages. We’ll use today’s bird, the Bonaparte’s Gull, to illustrate the point. Here’s an adult Bonaparte’s Gull in breeding plumage:
Bonaparte’s Gull, Adult Breeding Plumage
Note the deep black hood extending to the back of the skull, the black bill and the pale grey back. If you could see the legs, they’re fire engine red.
Then there’s this bird:
Bonaparte’s Gull, Adult Non-breeding Plumage
This is the same species, except the adult is in non-breeding plumage. The head is white, except for a small black spot behind the ear; the bill is solid black. The back has the snappy-looking band of mottled brown and the legs are pink. Same species; different plumage.
The Bonaparte’s Gull is a three year gull, meaning it takes three years to reach maturity. So it shows six different plumages over its life. For example:
Bonaparte’s Gull, Juvenile Plumage
(The photograph is on an orange airplane wing, the reflected light gives the bird’s belly an odd color.) A beginning birder would be forgiven for thinking this was three different bird species.
Remember WC is a Laridophile, a gull lover.
This gull breeds on the taiga and marshes throughout Alaska, south of the Brooks Range. Far from tidewater. Which is why you shouldn’t call them “seagulls.”
For more bird photos, please visit Frozen Feather Images.
Another Adult in Breeding Plumage
I think this is my favorite gull, mainly because of the funny growling “Pew-Pew-Pew!” sound they make.
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/bonapartes_gull/id – has a short recording.
And, of course, who is not impressed by lipstick-red feet.
They flutter and dive for salmon fry in the stream mouths at this time of year. And then for salmon eggs in July and August.
The juvenile plumage is very beautiful when viewed from above when the wings are spread (they fly under our bridge, I haven’t been wing-walking on a plane or something), with dramatic shading of brown and charcoal. Tres chic chicks.
Lettuce and a few carrots are peeking through the soil in mikey’s garden of earthly delights. Plant sweet corn in a week or two. Still pretty chilly for iowa and April. Ben,you growing any more rockets?
tomato plants are all flowered up, plums already showing on the tree, green beans climbing trellis. Amateur Rocket season is done until we get rain … as for the other 🙂 new press release coming out soon… will let ya know when it “hits”…
Speaking at the Pastor for Life Luncheon, which was sponsored by Pro-Life Mississippi, Chief Justice Roy Moore of the Alabama Supreme Court declared that the First Amendment only applies to Christians because “Buddha didn’t create us, Mohammed didn’t create us, it was the God of the Holy Scriptures” who created us.
Can’t hardly wait for his interpretation of the 2nd amendment. Only christians with 1st amendment privileges and are certifiable,registered,notarized,god fearing wingnuts are allowed to have guns.
someone should remind him about the Constitution requirement about religion NOT to be a factor on selecting/electing a person for office….. pesky things, those Constitutions… especially for Supreme Court Justices,,,
Judge Moore can’t read. He had a humongous 10 commadments monument inside his courthouse and was ordered to remove it. He refused and was dumped from the bench. He’s back,uglier and ornrier than before.
What a great place to get idjicated. I have always assumed all gulls were seagulls,even those who choose to touch base in my crop fields. Little did I know,WC and co. were conspiring to dupe “gullible rubes like me with fauxknee seagulls what inhabit dry land. Landlubber gulls. What will they think of to trick mike from iowa with next?
Ducks!! We wanna see pictures of ducks!!
Slip-Zyxs BP link says Prudhoe is home to caribou and a large porkypine herd. Is that supposed to be the porkypine caribou herd or am I,mike from iowa,on drugs.
mfi…Porcupine River is what you’re referring too, I think. The only drugs you might be on is LIFE. so enjoy.
Yeah, it’s the Porcupine herd of caribou. About 400,000 fine animals and not a Republican amongst them. The herd migrates; spends part of the summer up on the North Slope near Prudhoe Bay.
There are several named herds in Alaska and western Canada. They tend to congregate for part of the year and disperse for other parts of the year, but biologists find it useful to call them by herd names.
They won’t answer to the name, though. If you call out “here, porcupine, here, porcupine” they will just look at you like you are a crazy old coot from Iowa.
Thanks for that. I was afeerd we’d have to deck you out in vaquero garb and have you round up them prickly beavers and herd them,along with cucumbers,back to their arboreal forest homes.
Well, I do look STUNNING in vaquero garb. Have to keep the porcupines and the cucumbers separated, though, or you can expect trouble.
Ducks ? Ducks ??? Where’s the 12 gauge and duck call ? Bring on the ducks !!!!
Hey!
For anyone who hasn’t heard of the latest BP disaster, here’s the news:
http://www.nationofchange.org/bp-pipeline-sprays-oil-gas-mixture-33-acres-alaskan-tundra-1399126038
Z… Thank you for this link. I have not seen much on the Alaskan news about this spill. Which is not surprising. Still devastating.
You might try searching Alaska Dispatch. It’s an online news reporting station. From my readings the Alaska Dispatch seem to be the one I keep referring to .I have not yet figured out how to post a link.
Really-find the link you want to post,place cursor on link,left click and hold while you run the cursor the length of the link to highlight it. Then place cursor on highlighted link,right click and you will get options,choose copy(left click copy) and then go to site where you want to post link. Right click mouse and options appear,choose paste(left click paste) and that should do it. Good luck. If you get confused google how to copy and paste for better instructions.
Thanks for all the terrific photos, WC. And for the new (to me) word: Laridophile!