Fwd: [eBird Alert] Kings County Rare Bird Alert

Thayer's gull reports

"If we had not had a Christmas Bird Count in those early years, we would not have as strong an understanding of long term bird trends. Many of these changes take place gradually." - Chan Robbins, legendary biologist, retired USFWS employee, and creator of the North American Breeding Bird Survey
Robbins bio:
https://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/robbins/index.cfm















   

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: <ebird-alert@birds.cornell.edu>
Date: Wed, Dec 17, 2025, 12:30 PM
Subject: [eBird Alert] Kings County Rare Bird Alert <hourly>
To: <prosbird@gmail.com>

*** Species Summary:

- Iceland Gull (Thayer's) (3 reports)

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Thank you for subscribing to the <hourly> Kings County Rare Bird Alert.  The report below shows observations of rare birds in Kings County.  View or unsubscribe to this alert at https://ebird.org/alert/summary?sid=SN35645
NOTE: all sightings are UNCONFIRMED unless indicated.

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Iceland Gull (Thayer's) (Larus glaucoides thayeri) (1)
- Reported Dec 17, 2025 08:38 by B F
- Prospect Park, Kings, New York
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&q=40.6602841,-73.9689534&ll=40.6602841,-73.9689534
- Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S288964952
- Media: 6 Photos
- Comments: "Continuing bird found (refound) by Ant T. earlier this week.  Photos.  Just a little smaller than a Herring Gull, with darker eye, slimmer bill with small red gonys spot (very modest gonydeal angle), and slightly more pink legs.

Insanely dumb luck, having told myself I didn't feel like scanning through the gulls today in favor of searching for other things, I took a quick break from sparrows to glance at the lake and it was like the fourth bird I looked at. Glad I was able to triangulate with other birders via phone across the lake to get them on it."

Iceland Gull (Thayer's) (Larus glaucoides thayeri) (1)
- Reported Dec 17, 2025 08:28 by chel sea
- Prospect Park, Kings, New York
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&q=40.6602841,-73.9689534&ll=40.6602841,-73.9689534
- Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S288975534
- Media: 3 Photos
- Comments: "Amazing find by Ant earlier this week on 12/14! Such a difficult ID to make, and hundreds of gulls to comb through. Continuing on lake ice with larger herring and smaller ring-billed nearby.

Very pink legs that stood out even at a distance, via scope. Smudging around eye, mostly yellow bill with red marking on lower mandible (gonys). Low hanging rear compared to nearby gulls.

Big shout out to Ant and those who followed up with observations, and to MCHL for combing through the gulls to help find it on our FBC Winter Solstice Warm Up!

Ant's write up of the bird can be found here, with documentation to support this is probably a returning bird! https://ebird.org/checklist/S288605219"

Iceland Gull (Thayer's) (Larus glaucoides thayeri) (1)
- Reported Dec 17, 2025 08:28 by MCHL ____
- Prospect Park, Kings, New York
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&q=40.6602841,-73.9689534&ll=40.6602841,-73.9689534
- Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S288975535
- Media: 3 Photos
- Comments: "Amazing find by Ant T. earlier this week on 12/14! Such a difficult ID to make, and hundreds of gulls to comb through. Continuing on lake ice with larger herring and smaller ring-billed nearby.

Very pink legs that stood out even at a distance, via scope. Smudging around eye, mostly yellow bill with red marking on lower mandible (gonys). Low hanging rear (?) compared to nearby gulls.

Big shout out to Ant and those who followed up with observations, and to MCHL for combing through the gulls to help find it for the group! Everyone was able to have a look through the scope.

Ant T.'s  write up of the bird can be found here https://ebird.org/checklist/S288605219
With documentation to support this is probably a returning bird, based on plumage progression, and first observed by Josh M in 2021 and found subsequently by Ant the last few years."

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